Dark Thoughts and Darker Deeds
by tancredi
Summary: Harry Potter/Naruto crossover. COMPLETED . A new alliance throws up a deadly mission for the Konoha shinobi. Sequel In progress!
1. The Sentry

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

A crescent moon shone brightly, then disappeared behind a cloud. The shadows changed in the forest, lengthening as the light faded. It was quiet. Suddenly the wind picked up, shattering the silence with a low howl. The rustling of the trees gathered, grew and crashed as the wind gave a last, feeble moan, and then the stillness resumed. It was a night for dark thoughts and darker deeds, a night which carried a taste of blood, a smell of flesh, a colour of death…

The wizard shivered, and resumed his watch. _Stop it_, he thought. _Stick to your duty_. He stared at the shadows, then turned to his right. The wards were well set, but even so, there was always a chance someone might slip through. There were four guards on the perimeter, all newly arrived, all fulfilling an act of good faith on the part of their leader. _Its hard, joining a fight midway_, he thought. _You can't be trusted because you weren't there from the start, but you can't be rejected because allies always come in handy, so you do the monkey work till you can move up_. The wizard fingered the clasp at his neck, then pulled the cloak more closely around him. He was not used to sentry duty, but he was strong and willing, and desperate to prove himself as only a young man is. He gazed out into the night, hoping that someone would be foolish enough to come, but nervous that one of the others might beat him to it.

Sighing, he removed a flask from his belt, opened it and took a long drink. The warm liquid flowed through him, refreshing and restoring him. Feeling more alert, he replaced the flask, then walked over to the first oak tree. He made a round of the edge of the forest, then returned to his post. Nothing to report. Nothing out of place. Nothing here at all.

A sound on his left made him start. Automatically, his wand was up and pointing. "Lumos" he muttered. The light revealed nothing, but still he looked – there! A movement! "Stupefy!" The red beam arced through the gloom, hitting its target. The wizard walked over, scanning the trees for other adversaries, wand up and ready for more. Arriving at the target, he stopped, eyes widening.

It was a squirrel.

Shaking his head, the wizard returned to his post. _A damned squirrel! I Stunned a squirrel! _He replaced his wand, and resumed his watch, still rueful at his foolishness. He'd acted like a kid playing Auror, jumpy as a grasshopper and twitchy as a cat. _This won't do_, he thought. Not if he wanted to impress. He needed to shape up, switch on and get with the program. Either that, or go home and leave the fighting to the big boys. His stomach turned at the thought. No way. He would show them just how tough he was.

The shadows shifted and swirled. The wizard stared into them, transfixed. Since childhood he had always loved to stare into shadows. A patch of shadow on his right shifted, floating a little, then disappeared. The wizard narrowed his eyes. _What did grandma say?_ _Stare at shadows, and they stare back..._ The memory made him smile. Foolish wisdom, from foolish people. Nothing for a man to concern himself with. Another shadow shifted, this time on his left. A shape seemed to step out of it, then disappear again, only to reappear fifty meters in front of him and vanish again. The wizard gasped. He'd never seen anything like it. Grinning foolishly, he looked again for the shape. Nothing on the left. Nothing on the right. _There! No, wait_... He turned. The shape was behind him, a couple of meters away. He moved to investigate it, and it disappeared. He was starting to get annoyed. Drawing his wand again, he looked for the shape. It was gone. The wizard blinked twice, then shook his head. Still nothing. _Must have been my imagination…_

A flicker of movement made him turn. The shape was behind him. It had coalesced into a man-sized figure. Before the wizard could even draw breath, a hand clamped round his mouth and something slammed into his ribs. A short sword sliced off his hand. It fell to the dirt, still clasping the wand. Blood spurted from the stump, making a soft patter as it melted into the leaves. The hand pushed the wizard down, and the dagger plunged into his throat. Choking on the bubbles spewing from his mouth as a fountain exploded from his neck, the wizard scrabbled in the dirt, his one hand rending the soil with its nails.

The figure moved away.


	2. The Mission

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

**Note: It will take a while for the main players in both series to appear, so bear with me on this. Otherwise, this is set near the start of HBP, and in Part II of Naruto.**

* * *

One down, three left. Make that two. One. Bingo!

Move in.

The team assembled by the lower door, one holding the handle, one by the opposite frame, the remaining pair further back, checking for any other guards. The leader held up his hand, and silently counted.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!

The door opened. The first pair burst in silently, kunais at the ready. The room was dark, with no occupants. The leader gestured. Clear! The second pair followed, closing the door. They had between five minutes before someone would go and check on the perimeter guards. Five minutes to complete the mission…

Taking out a map, one team member lit a match. They were in the servant's entrance. The main entrance hall was through the second door, up two flights of stairs and then the first door on the right. From there, the main staircase would take them up the first floor, where they would take the third door on the left into the master bedroom, where the target was. The guards were gathered at intervals marked on the map: two in the entrance hall, one in the first floor corridor. There were ten others, but they were too far away too matter: if they became a threat it meant the mission had failed. The only worry was the target's snake, which tended to roam the halls at random and could communicate information to its master with incredible speed; however, there were ways of dealing with that.

The match dropped to the floor, spent. The team gathered behind the door. Silently, they opened it, and burst up the stairs, their soft soles noiseless even on the aged wood. Coming to the door, they halted. Time for stage two: Neutralise the main hall guards.

The team leader peeked through the keyhole. The main hall was lit, dimly, by a pair of lamps by the enormous teak door. The guards were nowhere to be seen. The team leader frowned. Signalling to his comrades that he would go in alone, he opened the door, squeezed through and concentrated on making himself part of the background. A shinobi knew a thousand ways to vanish from sight, the least of them accomplished with chakra. By diminishing his presence, he could pass unnoticed through a crowd of people. The leader slipped among the shadows cast by the dim lighting, his dark grey and green camouflage making him just another shadow. There! The two guards were on the far side of the hall, near the staircase. One was reading a book, the other eating some sausages with toast and mashed potatoes. The leader slipped back to the door, then rejoined his team-mates on the other side. Motioning one team member forward, he whispered "Two. By the far side." The team-member nodded, and slipped through the door. The team leader waited. Two low thuds rewarded his patience. The team slipped through, moving quickly to help carry the bodies and stow them somewhere less obvious. Footsteps on the staircase disturbed them. Hurrying, they hid in any possible space. The footsteps grew louder as their owner reached the ground floor.

"Guys? Dmitrov? Roschev? Where are you?"

The guard looked uncertain as he stepped into the main hall. Suddenly, a team member came behind him, kunai in hand. Holding a hand over the man's mouth, he dragged the kunai across the guards throat, then stabbed once to the heart, once to the groin and once to the liver. The guard collapsed, blood gushing all over his robes and pooling on the floor. No time for a clean-up, thought the leader. He signaled to the team, and they sprinted up the stairs. Once on the first floor, they grouped into an assault formation. Cautiously, proceeded to the third door on the left. The team leader gripped the handle of the door, and burst in.

The room's occupant gave a start, wand flashing up, but a well thrown shuriken cut the wand in half. A team member appeared behind him, drawing a kodachi. Before the target had a chance to scream, his mouth had been covered by a strong hand and the sword had pierced him three times: groin, throat and heart. The target collapsed to the floor and…

Disappeared.

The leader stiffened. _Kage bunshin?!_ A noise caught his attention, and he turned. It sounded like…

Clapping?

The leader looked at his team. Their confusion mirrored his. From the shadows, two figures emerged. Both were tall, but there the resemblance ended. One was dressed in black robes, with a white face, a flat nose and snake-like eyes. The other wore battle gear, sporting long black hair. He was handsome after a fashion, pale faced and elegant, but his eyes held a cold malice in them, and his grin spoke of teeth and venom. He was also the one applauding.

"My, my. The Leaf are getting better and better at this sort of thing. See, Voldemort? I told you they were good."

His companion frowned. "Yes, so you did. I see we may have to take more care in the future. I hope you will assist, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru nodded. Still smiling, he looked at the team leader. "Ah, Kakashi-kun. How good it is to see you again. And how sad that this is the last time we shall meet. Tell me, how is that charming little kyuubi of yours?"

The team leader, his identity blown, signalled to his team. Time for plan B. Kakashi pushed up his head protector, opening his left eye. The tomoe spun slowly. Voldemort drew his wand, preparing for combat. Orochimaru stopped him with a gesture.

"I'm sorry, Voldemort, but I'll take care of him. His sharingan is beyond even your ability. A truly remarkable gift." Turning to Kakashi, he said "As I will shortly discover..."

Kakashi stiffened. _Sasuke!_ Watching Orochimaru carefully, he made a slight movement with his left hand. Orochimaru stepped forward slowly, wary of moving too soon. Suddenly, the room filled with smoke, so thick that it became impossible to see more than a foot away. A sound from the window signaled the departure of the team. Orochimaru dashed forward to intercept, but Kakashi stopped him with a well placed kick to the ribs. Orochimaru spun away, sweeping his leg up. His heel caught Kakashi full in the face. Voldemort aimed his wand, shouting "Avada Kedavra!!" The green light flashed towards Kakashi as Orochimaru leapt aside.

The light struck Kakashi full in the chest.

He hit the ground in a heap, face first. Voldemort dispelled the smoke. The rest of the team was gone. Orochimaru approached the corpse, Voldemort close behind.

"My, my. The great Copy-nin Kakashi, brought down with a single curse. Who would have thought it…"

The Snake Sannin bent down to examine the body. Turning it over, he stared. "Scarecrow? What the… Kawarimi no-jutsu!!" He looked up. Kakashi was on the ceiling, sprinting towards the open window. Voldemort aimed again. A chunk of plaster and wood exploded. He aimed once more. The chandelier shattered into a million pieces. Furious, he aimed again. Too late! Kakashi had made it through the window.

Orochimaru was still smiling, though his eyes showed his frustration. "Kabuto," he whispered, "take care of them."

The crackling answer came a moment later. "Hai, Orochimaru-sama!"


	3. Interrogation

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

The witch stirred. Opening her eyes, she winced as the pain struck her. She was tied to a tree, in the middle of a clearing. Allowing herself to focus, she stared at her captors. They both wore black cloaks, with red clouds marking them. One was a giant, with blue skin and shark-like features. The other was shorter, slim, with long black hair, premature lines around his face, and eyes like…

Eyes like nothing she'd seen before.

"She's awake" the shark man said. His companion nodded. "What do you wanna do?"

His companion seemed thoughtful. The shark man shrugged, and sat down, placing his sword on the ground. He drew something from his pocket. The witch recognised it immediately. Her wand. The shark man began twirling it idly round his fingers, all the while staring at his companion, who crouched down, and gazed at the witch. Reaching a decision, he stood.

"We'll have to torture her," he said to his companion, adding "We can't test the truth of her answers otherwise." The shark man smiled. "Want me to handle that?" His companion considered this for a moment. "No. I'll do it. You'll take too long, and you'll need more equipment. I have everything I need."

The witch considered this. The only equipment was a wand, as far as she saw. That meant the Cruciatus Curse. Intense agony, the like of which she would never recover from. The Cruciatus curse broke people. She knew from first hand experience. Mothers begging to hand their children over, husbands pleading for their wives to take their place. Nothing broke a man like the Cruciatus curse. Most of its victims never recovered, their spirits broken for years afterwards. It had been a hobby of hers to use the curse on a man, break him, then months later appear and watch him beg and squirm in his attempt to avoid more pain. That hobby seemed much less amusing now.

The slim man walked over. He bent down, staring at the witch with those strange eyes. The witch tried to look away, but she couldn't. There were three commas floating around the pupils, rotating slowly. As she stared, the commas thickened, merging with the pupils, to become a circle with three added blades. Entranced by this, she failed to notice a low murmur: "Tsukuyomi!"

* * *

The witch awoke on a blasted plain. There was no sun, no moon, no source of light at all, but somehow the world was drenched in a pale glow. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around her for any sign on life. There was none. She was alone in this shadow-world, with no means of escape. Suddenly a shape formed in front of her, a pool of black coalescing into a man. The slim man with the strange eyes.

"You are trapped in my illusion. There is no time and no space. But make no mistake. Everything that happens here is very, very real."

Suddenly, the witch was chained to a wall. Another figure appeared in front of her. The face of a man she had tortured and killed a long time ago. His eyes were dead, his features locked into a brutal rictus. He approached her, and took her hand. The witch trembled. The slim man looked at her calmly. "Break her fingers" he ordered. The snarling man obliged. The witch screamed as the thumb snapped, and didn't stop until it was over. The snarling man moved to her other hand, and began again. Then, he stood back, awaiting another command. The slim man handed him a wand. The snarling man took it, and pointed it at the witch.

"For the next seventy-two hours, this man will torture you until you are ready to speak."

The snarling man looked at the witch, his rictus settling into a malevolent smirk. "Crucio." The witch screamed. Her brain was burning, her heart was being squeezed. Her skin was being peeled into strips. Needles dug in under her nails, then her nails were slowly ripped off. Her legs were set on fire; the burning flesh was sickly sweet. Her throat was slowly constricted: she couldn't breathe! Her bones were being snapped, one after the other. Then, suddenly, it was over. "Crucio." Again the pain came, burning, piercing, throbbing, choking and constricting. "Crucio." The witch went blank. She retreated into herself, detached from her body. It was the only way she could preserve her sanity. There she stayed, insensitive to the pain, in her own little safe place. "Crucio." Her safe place was obliterated. Now the pain was emotional too: she saw images of her father beating her, her mother forcing her face onto a stove. She saw a three-year-old girl gang raped by her uncles, and knew that she was that girl. The curse took everything she had and turned it into pain. "Crucio. Crucio. Crucio. Crucio. Crucio…"

"Please… no more. Please. I'll talk, I'm… ready!" The witch's breath came in gasps. She couldn't take it. The curse had come at least twenty times, each time more unbearable than the last. It must be over soon, right? She had been there for hours, if not days! She begged for mercy, begged for release. "I'll tell you anything… Anything! Just… Please, make it stop!!"

The slim man stared at the witch. "Very well. Then you may answer these questions."

The interrogation took hours. The slim man took every single scrap she had ever forgotten from her, the threat of another curse being more than enough to ensure complete honesty. When it was done, the slim man looked at the witch, tilting his head slightly. The snarling man did the same.

"Is it over?" the witch pleaded. "Please? No more?"

"Seventy one hours, fifty nine minutes and fifty nine seconds left"

This time, the witch screamed before the wand was raised.

The slim man deactivated his eyes. The witch's mind was broken. She lay there, bound, gibbering and screaming, her eyes blind to the outside world. Everything she had was turned in on itself, the pain sustaining itself in a never-ending cycle. Not even the best healers could save her now. She was trapped in the curse of Tsukuyomi.

Kisame regarded the witch, amused. He never ceased to be amazed at the effects of Tsukuyomi. He looked at Itachi. "What shall we do with her?" Itachi considered for a moment. "Her mind is broken. She's of no use to anyone." Kisame nodded, and began to pack away the camp. A useless nutjob was no threat. She would never be able to identify the ones who caused her pain.

"Kisame-kun."

Kisame looked up. Itachi was looking at the witch. He seemed to have made a decision.

"Kill her."

Kisame grinned. "My pleasure. I never could stand women screaming."

The clearing was silent.


	4. Fallout

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

Kakashi had missed the rendezvous.

_Not that anyone would be surprised,_ he thought ruefully. _Hatake Kakashi, perpetually late. Just like Obito._

Jumping to a branch, he channelled chakra to his feet and leapt. He landed silently, some fifty metres ahead, sprang down to the ground and ran. He was tired. He'd been maintaining the Sharingan since he left the mansion, paranoid about any ambushes. If the target knew about the mission, it was perfectly possible that the whole thing had been a set-up. _And like little lambs, we walked right into it. So much for looking underneath._

A flash of movement to his right caused him to veer sharply left. The fall-back position was only two miles away. Once he got there, he could rest. He turned to his right, rolling under a low-hanging branch, then sprinted. No further movement. He kept running. One mile. A large rock loomed in front of him. This time, Kakashi didn't bother with chakra. He simply leapt it in a bound, just clearing it, landing lightly and bounding on. _There!_ He slowed to a walk, catching his breath, and moved into the clearing. He stepped over the first trip wire, ducked under the second and treaded carefully around a slightly raised patch of earth that concealed a landmine. Then, he closed his left eye, and covered it with his protector. The Sharingan, starved of activity, began to dissipate, though it would never truly stop. Kakashi moved to the centre of the clearing, and began to wait.

A whisper on his right made him look up. Toshi had arrived in the clearing. Kakashi rose, smiling slightly. His smile vanished when he saw the enormous wound in his team-mate's side. Toshi was bleeding heavily. Kakashi ran forward. "What happened?! Where's Genzo? And Jiro?"

Toshi coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Dead… We got… trouble. Kabuto, and some wizards." His legs gave way. Kakashi leapt forward to catch him. "Toshi! Stay with me. We'll get you home!"

Toshi smiled weakly. "Too late, Kakashi-san. I'm done for. I… did a fake death. They bought it… Gave me time to get here and… give intel."

Kakashi closed his eye. "Did they know you were coming?"

Toshi shook his head. "Not an ambush... Ran into them. They… more shocked than us. Wizard got Jiro. Green light… strange Jutsu. Genzo took out three, but Kabuto- " Toshi coughed. Blood streamed from his mouth. He began to choke, his words coming out as wet gargles. "Mission's safe… Kakashi-Sempai…" The choking turned to a bubbling as Toshi's mouth went slack. His eyes unfocused, and his limbs spasmed. Kakashi laid him down, and withdrew a knife. _No sound, no smell, no trace. That's how a shinobi dies._ Stepping forward, he began the gruesome duty.

When it was done, Kakashi sat by the rock, watching the fire consume the last of Toshi's remains. His team was dead, but he still had a mission to complete. _Orochimaru knew about the mission, but Kabuto wasn't placed to ambush. So they only knew about an attempt, not the details of the plan. Which means – _

The approach of two figures cut off his thoughts. Turning, he whipped out a kunai. Uchiha Itachi and his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, had just arrived. Still holding the kunai, Kakashi said "They knew. And I think you told them."

Kisame hefted the Samehada. "What was that, boy?" Kakashi glared. "The mission was blown. It must have been you two." Kisame stepped forward, sword up. "Then I guess you'd better try and kill us, huh?"

Itachi lifted his hand. "Kisame-san, Kakashi-sempai. Don't fight. It would be a waste." Kisame stood down immediately, Kakashi a little more reluctantly. "Kakashi-sempai. If we wanted you dead, we would have simply wiped out you and your team when we first met. We did not betray you to our enemy."

Kakashi didn't relax. "Then how do you explain what happened?"

Itachi frowned slightly. "Tell me everything."

* * *

When the story was done, Itachi was silent for a while. Kakashi stared at him, still tense. Finally, the missing-nin looked up.

"I agree that it sounds like a set-up, Kakashi-sempai. However, given the lack of force that met you when you attacked the target, they couldn't have known too far in advance. Possibly, they hadn't set the trap for you, but for others."

Kakashi was unconvinced. "Who?"

"The wizards who arrived recently. The ones on guard duty. New allies must always be treated cautiously, so it is unlikely that Voldemort would trust his safety solely to them. Your attack was merely a bonus for them."

"And the attack on our men?"

"You said yourself, it wasn't an ambush. Orochimaru probably ordered Kabuto to pursue you. It was simply bad luck that he managed to surprise your men."

Kakashi considered this. The explanations made sense. He was still unconvinced about Itachi's motives, but he did respect the man's analytical skills."So what have you accomplished?"

Kisame smiled, showing his teeth. "We, or rather, Itachi-san, had an interesting encounter with a witch. She was returning to Voldemort after being dispatched on a mission. She enlightened us on many things, but most importantly, she had been present at Voldemort's first meetings with Orochimaru. Someone had modified her memory, but we... persuaded her to remember fully. While you were off getting your men killed, we learned what the Snake wants with the wizard. And we know their schedule."

Kakashi frowned. "I need to inform the village about the loss of the team. We'll need back-up-" Itachi cut him off with a gesture. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sempai, but we do not have time. We shall finish this together, the three of us. That is the simplest approach."

Kakashi stared at his new allies, considering Itachi's proposition. _Hoshigaki Kisame. Formerly one of the Mist's Seven. An unlimited reserve of chakra combined with a deadliness that surpasses my own. A truly terrible foe. And the other? _Kakashi stared at the other. _Uchiha Itachi, the legendary Sharingan genius. Captain of the ANBU at 13, he murdered his entire clan single-handedly. The best ninja to come from the leaf since the Third, maybe even since the First and Madara..._

_With friends like these, who needs enemies?_

* * *

Dumbledore removed his glasses, placed them on the desk, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Replacing his glasses, he looked at the two-way mirror. The pallid features of Severus Snape glared back.

"How much time do you have?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not much. We'd better be quick. What do you want to know?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "From the beginning, please Severus. What exactly happened?"

Snape frowned. "You remember the Durmstrang Ten? Svedets and his boys?" Dumbledore nodded. "They're dead. The Dark Lord personally despatched Svedets an hour ago." Dumbledore looked surprised. "Why?"

Snape grimaced. "The price of failure. His men had been set to guard the mansion. Last night, some intruders broke in. They killed the guards on the outside, then killed the ones stationed in the hall, and believe me, Dumbledore, they did not die prettily. They were butchered. The main hall was covered in blood, and the bodies had been hidden. Somehow, these intruders bypassed the wards, killed six wizards and attacked the Dark Lord himself!"

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Aurors?"

"No. We would have been told. Besides, Aurors prefer to capture, not kill, and they wouldn't be this messy. Another thing. THe Dark Lord has been spending a lot of time ensconced with his 'guest'. Apparently, he was with the Dark Lord during the attack, and he has now taken charge of security."

"Have you managed to learn more about him?" Dumbledore asked.

"Some. This new guest… He calls himself Orochimaru. We don't know where he's from, but he sounds Eastern. Maybe from the Five Countries. He's not a new Death Eater though. He's treated almost like… an equal. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the Dark Lord was even a little scared of him, but that would be preposterous. The Dark Lord knows no fear."

"I see. Watch him closely, please, Severus. Anything else to report?"

"Cassandra Blake has disappeared. She was supposed to be liaising with some disenchanted members of the Ministry, but she didn't return from her last meeting. She's also been involved in some secret plans with the Dark Lord, which I have yet to discover the import of. She hasn't been captured by the Aurors as far as we can tell, so we suspect a third party. Any Order involvement?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, that wasn't us. Though it is a boon, I must say."

"Very well. I have to go. I'll be in contact again."

Snape's face disappeared from the mirror. Dumbledore again removed his glasses, and again massaged the bridge of his nose. He searched for a quill and some parchment, and scribbled a note. Motioning to Fawkes, he tied the note to the phoenix's leg, and whispered into its ear. Events were gathering in pace, and he needed to work hard to keep abreast of them. _The Five Countries, mysterious attacks and murders. I pray this won't destroy everything._


	5. The Briefing

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

**Note: While stuff that I mention here isn't described in the Manga or the Anime, it's only logical in my mind. If you have a real issue with it, then feel free to voice your concerns.**

* * *

_**Flashback: **__**T minus 1 month: Konoha**_

Sakura walked up to the Hokage's office, the message held tightly in her hand. She knocked twice, then entered. The Godaime Hokage, one of the legendary Sannins, was head down on her desk, drooling into a stack of paperwork, mouth open in a gentle snore. Sakura coughed once, then turned around, to spare her teacher the embarrassment of being caught napping like an old woman. _Which, if you think about it, she is_, the inner Sakura cut in. Smiling slightly at the thought, she waited for Tsunade's voice.

"Yes, Sakura? What is it?"

Sakura wordlessly presented the message. The Legendary Sucker took it, glanced at it, then looked back at her apprentice. "I'll need you to leave. This is coded specially. Wait outside till I call."

Sakura left the room. As soon as the door closed, Tsunade moved to the south wall, and pushed three small depressions in it. A patch of wall slid open. Taking out a stack of books, she found the one she needed and replaced the rest. Moving back to her desk, she looked for a pencil and some blank paper. There was none. Sighing, she took a report of a recent D-rank mission. Flipping to the last page, she found a blank patch. She looked at the message. The paper was blank. Channelling her chakra into the paper, she saw the challenge. Taking the pencil, she wrote down her response beneath it, and channelled chakra into the paper again. The paper went blank. Then, a stream of numbers appeared. The message was revealed. It began: 14 11 46 37. Tsunade frowned, then opened the codebook at the centre. Channeling chakra to the paper, the wrote in her personal authorisation code, waited for the paper to go blank, then wrote the initial code. The decryption key appeared. Looking at the message again, she began the laborious process of decoding it. The work took her back to her academy days, and Daigo-Sensei's lessons. "The one-time pad is one-hundred per cent secure. Without the decryption key, the meaning cannot be discovered from the message itself. There is no pattern to analyse, no repetitions, no points of comparison. It has perfect secrecy; however, it is also enormously difficult to accomplish. Firstly, the key must be random. Secondly, both keys must be kept perfectly secure, and destroyed straight after use. Lastly, there must be a way to ensure the message can be authenticated. The one-time pad is only useful as for direct agent-to-handler communication with no third party involvement. As long as all three conditions can be ensured, there is no possibility of enemy interception and decryption." The memory made her smile. Daigo-sensei had been a harsh master, but he had been the finest codebreaker in the history of the Leaf. His death had been a real blow, but at least it had been peaceful

Finishing the job, she wrote in the destroy code in the codebook. The book flashed once, twice, then went blank. The discovery of paper that could channel chakra had had many boons, the greatest of which was a new way of ensuring message security. Looking at the message, she called out to Sakura.

Sakura entered. "Find Shizune, and send her to me. I'm sorry, Sakura, but I won't be able to teach you today." Sakura nodded, hiding her disappointment. The inner Sakura, however, was worried. _This must be big. The old woman looks serious._ Sakura left the room, frowning all the time.

Tsunade re-read the message, and frowned again. _This is going to be tricky, _she thought. _Of all the news I would least want to hear, this must be at the top. Well, maybe excepting an attack by the Kyuubi, Akatsuki, Orochimaru AND the bodies of the first four Hokage's. Or a Gala Casino opening near the Konoha treasury._ The thought made her smile slightly. She hadn't placed a single bet since assuming her new role, and, truth be told, it was starting to grate. She longed for the thrill of cho-han, the heady joys of blackjack, the even the transient pleasure of slots. Still, that was the price she had to pay. _A Hokage cannot be seen gambling like a common farmer. That would just NOT do._

Shizune entered the room. Tsunade looked up, crumpling the message. "We need to assemble a team for an S-class mission. An emergency S-class mission. Which Jounin are currently unassigned?"

Shizune looked surprised. "Umm, Tsunade-sama? We've already assigned missions to all the Jounin. The only ones still in the village are those who have just received a mission and are yet to depart…"

"Shit." Tsunade considered the situation. "Well, which Jounin are still in the village?"

Shizune pondered the question. "Well, Kakashi is due to leave tonight on a B-class mission… I think that Toshi and Jiro haven't left yet, but they're due to accompany the delegation to Hidden Sand tomorrow morning. Gai might be here, but he was due to leave at noon, so unless he was late, I'd imagine he's gone... Umm... The only other person of that level would be Genzo, but he's retired from active duty. He's due to start teaching at the academy tommorrow"

Tsunade frowned. "Right. Genzo will have to postpone his retirement. Find someone else to teach. Take Toshi and Jiro off the Sand delegation and assign any available chuunins instead. Shikamaru would be a good choice; he seems to get on with the Sand siblings. And take Kakashi off the B-rank mission. We'll give him a holiday after this is settled. Give his mission to Iruka."

Shizune had taken out a notebook and was furiously writing all this information down. Confident she had the details correctly, she put the notebook away, and went to the door, then stopped and turned towards her master. "Hokage-sama, may I ask what is so urgent that we need to do all this?"

The question took Tsunade by surprise. "I've had a message from Jiraiya. More than that, I can't say for now."

Shizune nodded, and left.

_I'm sorry, Shizune. But the fewer people to know about this, the less chance it'll go wrong._

* * *

Kakashi knocked once, then entered. Tsunade was standing in the centre of the room, alongside three other jounins. He knew them, though not well. Toshi and Jiro were recent promotions from chuunin, whereas Genzo had been an ANBU member for nearly thirty years before stepping down. _This looks bad, _he thought. _Four jounins, and we're already stretched to breaking. _

"You're late."

Uncharacteristically serious, Kakashi bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I left for the mission early." Tsunade merely nodded. _This must be bad, if she won't even scold me._ Taking a position alongside Genzo, Kakashi stood at ease. Tsunade looked at the jounins assembled before her. Toshi, tall and lanky, contrasted with Jiro, short and slender. Genzo, grizzled, his beard streaked with grey and lines on his face, looked almost like the father of the young, white-haired ninja to his right. They were all professional, disciplined and deadly, though not equally so. She sighed. There was no way she could send a medic with them. Sakura was still learning, Hinata was too inexperienced, Shizune was indispensable. The rest were simply not good enough. _I guess this'll have to do_.

"I'm reassigning you to an S-class mission." _Good,_ she thought. _No one looks shocked or nervous._

Kakashi narrowed his eye. "Who commissioned it?"

Tsunade smiled ruefully. "Sadly, this is not a commission. This is for the security of the village." _Now they look shocked,_ she thought. She continued. "I received a message from Jiraiya today. During the course of training Naruto, he's been following a couple of leads about Akatsuki and Orochimaru. As you should all be aware, Akatsuki's objective is to capture and control the tailed beasts. To do this, they had to create a device capable of extracting and controlling them. As you can imagine, such a device would be immensely difficult to build, so Akatsuki sought help. They went outside the Five Nations, and travelled west, where they met a powerful wizard called Voldemort."

Kakashi cut in. "This would be the same Voldemort who attempted a takeover of a Western kingdom some twenty years ago? Britain, wasn't it? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?"

Tsunade smiled dryly. "Apparently not. He seems to have returned. Our dealings with the West are limited, but that, at least, we know for certain. In any case, Akatsuki obtained the help they desired from Voldemort, and have begun work on their device."

Genzo frowned. "Pardon me, Tsunade-sama. Are you telling us our mission is to attack the device that Akatsuki are building?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Sadly, no. Your mission is more serious than that. From the intel that Jiraiya assmbled, it appears that the device will take some months to complete. We have no intel on its location, so we can't make a move against it as yet. The problem here is far worse. Jiraiya's message was about a meeting between Orochimaru's servants and followers of Voldemort."

Kakashi's eye widened. "You don't mean… Impossible!"

Tsunade looked grave. "Yes. Orochimaru may be trying to build his own machine to harness the power of tailed beasts. Or he has sought out Voldemort's wisdom for another, equally dangerous purpose. We weren't able to stop Akatsuki from meeting this scholar, but I'll be damned if we let Orochimaru gain more power!" Breathing deeply, she calmed herself down. "Your mission is to travel to the west, discover the purpose of Orochimaru's dealings with Voldemort and then eliminate the wizard. I've prepared a briefing file on the area you will travel to. I want you each to take a copy. Some of our information may be inaccurate, but you'll have a chance to update it."

The jounins nodded. In turn, they went to the desk and took a file. Kakashi glanced through his, then looked back at Tsunade. "What's the plan, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade waited for the rest of the team to finish. "Kakashi, you're team leader. First objective is to meet an agent of Jiraiya at the border of Fire Country. The agent is a wizard. He'll be able to transport you all the Britain, and fill you in on the situation there. Once you reach Britain, you must do everything possible to locate and eliminate the target. Understood?"

The jounins replied in unison. "Yes, Hokage-sama.!"

"Good. You have two hours. Take everything you need."

The team filed out. Tsunade watched them leave. _Good luck, boys. You'll need it._


	6. Rules of Engagement

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

_**Flashback**__**: T minus 3 weeks: Britain**_

The wizard disappeared.

The jounin team had made camp in a forest. They had been informed that the forest was guarded by wards set against non-wizards, and was unlikely to be visited by any wizards. Still, the jounin team were careful. The fire was small, covered and easily extinguishable. The sleeping rolls were camouflaged. The perimeter was guarded by several traps: explosive tags, some basic nets and a few collapsible pits. It was a reasonably secure base of operations.

They had met the wizard on the border of Fire Country. His name was William Borritt; he was a nervous man with narrow eyes and a large, bulbous nose. He had been terrified when the jounin team swooped down on him, fainting and striking his head on a rock. They had woken him up, then spent a good hour calming his nerves until he was able to speak coherently. Despite this, he had proven to be a good source of intelligence. He had met Jiraiya some twenty years previous, during one of the Toad-hermit's journeys to the West. The Sannin had saved him from a vampire attack, and he felt indebted to the man ever since. Borritt gave them a full briefing on the current state of affairs in the West, correcting some errors in the file Tsunade had given them. He also gave them a run-down of a wizards basic offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as an idea of the kind of wizards they would be likely to face. He had then transported the team to Britain, using a special kind of space-time jutsu called Apparition. Kakashi had been extremely interested in this at first, but his interest waned when he learned that he would have to master channelling chakra using a wand first. "I have no time to learn how to wave a stick" he had said. The wizard had tittered a little when he made that declaration, claiming that Jiraiya had said almost the same words on their first meeting. After transporting them to the forest, the wizard had left, claiming that his work was done. The jounin were not sorry to see him leave. While his Apparition skills would have been useful, the man's demeanour was too fragile for him to be of use on a mission as dangerous as this. Plus, the man seemed terrified of Voldemort, preferring to refer to him in with several euphemisms, the most amusing of which had been 'You Know Who'. Genzo had needled the man constantly by using Voldemort's name in his presence, which would cause Borritt to jump and look around, as if he expected the dark wizard to emerge every time the name was uttered. "He's a wizard, not a damn bogeyman!" Genzo had shouted after the third such occurrence.

Toshi was on watch, scouting the area for any possible trouble. Jiro was asleep. He had taken the first watch, and so was entitled to a little rest. Kakashi emerged from his blankets. He didn't feel tired; his mind was buzzing with different courses of action. He saw Genzo was awake as well. The older man was sitting by the fire, his head cocked to the right, staring at the flames.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

Genzo looked up. He shook his head once, then returned to watching the fire. Kakashi nodded, and moved to sit next to the former ANBU captain. He stared at the fire too, watching the flames lick at the wood, delicately shifting and twisting. Neither man spoke for a while, both snared by the hypnotic rhythm of the flames. Eventually, Genzo coughed slightly. Kakashi looked at him. "I was wondering what your plans were, Sir."

Kakashi smiled. "Please, don't worry about formality. I feel weird having someone of your experience calling me Sir."

Genzo nodded. Kakashi continued "As for my plans, well, that can wait a moment. I know Hokage-sama appointed me in command, but I would like you to be my strategic advisor. So tell me, what do you think we should do?"

Genzo pondered the question. An ANBU member for almost thirty years, and a captain for twenty of those, he'd already been drawing up some hypothetical courses of action. This mission worried him. There were too many unknowns: Orochimaru's forces, Voldemort's forces, the combat-abilities of wizards and the long, dark shadow of Akatsuki. He had tangled with one of their members before, Hoshigaki Kisame, when the shark-like man had merely been one of the Mist's Seven. He had been a formidable opponent, with near-unlimited chakra and a terrifying weapon. If the others had only half his strength, then they were truly a mighty force. Grimacing a little, he looked at his commander.

"I think our first course of action should be to test the combat-abilities of wizards. To achieve this, we can take three courses. The first is to locate one of these so-called Death Eaters and engage them. This has the advantage of letting us see the average strength of the opposition we are most likely to deal with; however, there are two main difficulties. Firstly, Death Eaters will be difficult to find. Wasting time looking for one could jeopardise the mission. Secondly, should we engage one and they escape, our presence will be blown, and we would be forced to abandon the mission there and then. The other option is to attack a large group of wizards ourselves, hoping to get an accurate view of the average capabilities of wizards in general. Of course, this would be in violation of shinobi rules, not to mention the potential risk of alerting the wizard world to shinobi activities, something we have long tried to avoid."

Kakashi nodded. Genzo's logic was irrefutable. "What's the third way?"

Genzo smiled and lowered his voice, speaking for a good ten minutes. At the end, Kakashi was smiling too.

* * *

_**T minus 21 days: Upper Chorlesbury, 13:35PM**_

The Wizard's Staff pub in Upper Chorlesbury was a well-known haunt. Based inside a small, ramshackle mock-Tudor exterior, it housed seven bars, five children's areas, a medium-sized casino, four gourmet restaurants (including a Goblin's dining room) two conference halls and a well-sized Quidditch field outside, used by many amateur sides. Currently, the Old Knobs were facing the Small Kittens in the Chorlesbury Derby. A good two hundred people had come to watch the two amateur sides, and old wizards gave long and thrilling tales about the legendary Knob-Kitten rivalry.

In the Vermillion Lounge, a group of sophisticated young professionals were discussing business ventures in the current security climate. One of them was pushing for an import-export deal with the German Hoffbeinder Enterprises, which he claimed would guarantee a four-hundred-percent return after one year; he was being shouted down by the more conservative elements of the consortium.

Erik the bartender was doing his usual polishing, feeling his usual embarrassment at the Viking helmet he was forced to wear. He wasn't even from Scandinavia, for Merlin's sakes! But Mr Frisket said it looked good, so he forbore, as usual. He chuckled at the argument going in front of him. The Chorlesbury Consortium was a ridiculous affair, made up of the not-so-skilled and the not-so-savvy. The thought made him chuckle. The Consortium were still arguing, only now they were considering buying up Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Erik blanked out to avoid hearing the inevitable stupidity.

A piercing alarm cut through the chatter. "ATTENTION! ATTENTION! DARK WIZARD ATTACK! LEAVE THE BUILDING BY THE CLOSEST EXIT! DARK WIZARD ATTACK!" The panic was instant. The Consortium burst to the exit; families overturned tables in their haste to get to the door. A small number of people rushed to the source of the alarm, desperate to secure the escape of their loved ones even if it cost them their lives. Erik was one of them. Charging out of the Vermillion Lounge, he sprinted down the main stairs to the entrance hall. He arrived at a nightmare. Black smoke filled the hall; two pillars were reduced to rubble. In the centre, three Death Eaters stood, wands raised, cackling madly. Erik whipped out his wand, aiming for the nearest one, but the dark wizard saw the movement, and leapt to the side. An explosion by the stairs hurled Erik sideways into a wall. Picking himself up, he aimed his wand. "Stupefy!" The curse hit the Death Eater full on, knocking the wizard into a wall. Erik turned to the other two. Suddenly, the room was filled with smoke, clouding his vision. He began coughing, barely able to breathe. Another explosion came, this one larger than the last. Erik slammed headfirst into a wall. Barely conscious, he heard the distinctive pops that meant people Apparating into the hall. _Aurors…_ he though. _Thank Merlin…_ The world went black.

Dawlish, Kingsley and Moody had already engaged the Death Eaters. Tonks went first to help the injured. She saw Moody trading curses with one of them. More accurately, Moody was jinxing his opponent, while the Death Eater merely dodged and shouted. There were no corpses. Tonks marked the most seriously hurt for the St Mungo's Emergency Healers, then ran to assist Dawlish. The four Aurors made short work of their opponents, connecting with almost all of their jinxes. They forced them towards the eastern wall, attempting to pin them, when an explosion hurled them backwards. The room filled with even more smoke. It was impossible to see more than a half a foot away. Coughing and gagging, the Aurors cast a few dispelling charms. The smoke cleared. The Death Eaters had vanished. Tonks ran outside. The Dark Mark had also disappeared.

he rejoined her comrades. There was no lasting damage, but they had a report to fill in. Apparating, they left the scene. Tonks was the last to leave. Of all the recent attacks, this had been the mildest. No deaths, a few serious injuries, and some rubble, but compared to the last one, it was like a schoolyard scuffle. She still couldn't help but feel something wasn't right. Why didn't the Death Eaters put up more of a fight?

Safely hidden, Genzo and Jiro relaxed. The attack hadn't been too tiring, but getting the timing right had been a little tricky. Hopefully, Kakashi had seen enough with the Sharingan to analyse their enemies.

Inside the pub, hanging from the ceiling and concealed by a Henge, Kakashi closed his left eye and covered it. He had seen enough to know what they were dealing with. Dropping silently to the floor, he released the Henge and concentrated on diminishing his presence. When he was certain he was ready, he walked out of the main door. A wizard looked right at him without seeing him. _Now for part two, _he thought. _Toshi, it's all on you._

* * *

The pub had been cordoned off.

Half the population of Upper Chorlesbury had disappeared, and the rest would follow soon enough. No one wanted to stay in an area so close to such an attack. Who knew what the Death Eaters had been after? Maybe a target, maybe just murder. All that was certain was that the area was no longer safe. Maybe they'd come back, when it was all over. Maybe.

The bell tower chimed the hour, then tolled twice. The sky was cloudless, but the moon was nowhere in sight. Only a faint glimmer from the stars illuminated the village square. It was quiet. No revellers making their way home, no animals playing in the streets. Only the faint rustle of the trees disturbed the stillness, ebbing and flowing with the wind.

Two loud pops shattered the calm. The cloaked figures seemed a dark shadow, floating over the green towards the wreckage of the pub. Approaching the ruined entrance, they separated, one entering while the other stood watch.

Inside the pub, the walls were covered with markings. Magical Law Enforcement had done a good job tracking the devastation and gathering evidence, but they would need a few more trips to try and pick up any residual traces. With luck, they would be able to separate the wand activity of the Aurors and the civilians to pick up on the spells cast by the Death Eaters. That was the usual procedure after attacks, and the Death Eater examining the hall was confident that the same would be applied here. Stopping in the centre of the hall, he looked up at the ceiling. It had remained miraculously untouched, despite the damage done to the walls. Frowning, he continued his examination. The Dark Lord had ordered him to investigate the attack and determine its purpose. He had told his master that it must have been the work of sympathizers, mimicking the acts of their betters, but the Dark Lord demanded that he visit the site first. _Better to get away for a bit, _he thought. The attack puzzled him. It looked spectacular, but very little had been achieved. No deaths, only a few wounded. Very amateurish. If he didn't know any better, he'd reckon it was a fix, but no one could stand to benefit from it. A year ago maybe, but not now. Not when the real Death Eaters could kill anyone at any time.

So caught up was he in his examination that he didn't hear his comrade's muffled cry outside, or the whisper of sound as a figure dropped behind him. The blow to his back came suddenly, knocking him off his feet and into a wall. Hurt and disorientated, he turned to face…

A shadow.

The figure before him shimmered in the air, sometimes there, sometimes not. Drawing his wand in a flash, he launched a Stunning spell. The figure slipped to the side, avoiding it, then dashed towards him. He launched a Killing curse, but missed by inches as he was blindsided and shoulder-charged into the wall again. The figure flipped backwards, then vanished. Rising, the Death Eater cast a Light spell. The hall was illuminated with a faint glow. He couldn't see the figure anywhere. Then he saw it, on his right. "Avada Kedavra!" The green light struck the figure, who disappeared with a puff of smoke. The Death Eater stared. That was impossible! A flash of movement on his left made him spin round, wand ready, only to meet a kick which crashed into his temple like an axe. Only the mask saved him from unconsciousness. Swaying, the Death Eater launched more curses. They were all dodged. The figure disappeared again. The wizard again cast a Light spell. There! The figure had its back to him. Aiming carefully, the Death Eater cried "Crucio!!" The curse missed. A shadow hurtled toward him. The Death Eater tried to dodge, but it struck him in the face. The world went black. He was blind! He took two steps, then stumbled headlong to the floor, smacking his head against the marble. The pain was excruciating. He felt a hand relieve him of his wand, and a rope tied round his body. He tried to struggle, but it was in vain. Someone dragged him along the floor, causing his head to smack against the cracks several times. Each time, the Death Eater gave a groan. Then, he was dropped, untied and left in the middle. He heard voices around him, speaking a language he couldn't understand. After a few minutes, the voices stopped. The Death Eater was getting scared. He prayed that this was a test of his loyalty by the Dark Lord. The alternative was too terrifying.

"Can you hear me, wizard? Do you understand me? Say yes if you do."

The Death Eater hesitated. A kick to his chest made him reconsider. "Y-Yes!"

"Good. I'm going to ask some questions. Any time you refuse to answer, hesitate, attempt to lie or speak out of turn, you will suffer. Understand?"

The Death Eater froze. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible! No one would dare! About to scream his defiance, a boot stamped into his groin, then ground in twice. The pain was unbearable. His mind went blank; his limbs went numb. Choking and gagging, he gave his answer. "… gh… kh…. Y-Ye-s…"

The questioning began.

* * *

Their captives were asleep.

Genzo had used some rudimentary medical techniques to disguise the worst of their damage. Once the pain was gone, Jiro cast a genjutsu with Kakashi's assistance. They implanted memories of the night, altering the record of experiences. It would be good enough to fool anyone with the power to check, though eventually the memories would spill out. It might take a year, it might take six months. Still, for the time being, the team would be safe.

Toshi sat to one side, clearly a little uncomfortable about the whole proceeding. Kakashi stepped towards him, but Genzo beat him there. _Maybe it's best if he handles it, _thought Kakashi.

Genzo sat next to Toshi. "You did well there, with the capture. Kakashi got a good record of the fight. We now know what our enemies capabilities are."

Toshi simply nodded. Genzo looked at him. "Was that the first time you've done an interrogation?"

Toshi nodded again. Genzo sighed. "Well, let me tell you. I've done hundreds. And believe me, it never gets easier." Toshi looked up, shocked. "It's true. No shinobi enjoys interrogating a captive. The only people who do are so twisted they should be put down like animals. But this is part of our duty. We cannot show compassion to our enemies. If we must torture them, then so be it. You're a jounin now, and you should understand that. We must be able to do our duty."

Toshi looked away. "I'm sorry, Genzo-san. I won't let it bother me again." Genzo shook his head. "Let it bother you. It shows you're still human. But don't let your discomfort override your duty." Toshi nodded. "Hai, Genzo-san." Genzo smiled. "You did well today. Very well." Rising, he looked at Toshi once more. The jounin seemed a little more relaxed. Genzo walked away. _Just a kid. I know times are desperate, but still…_

Kakashi joined him. "Are you pleased your plan worked?" Genzo smiled wryly. "Kakashi-san, I'm pleased we're all alive. If that round-eye had killed any of us, I would have died of shame." Kakashi chuckled. "They should wake up in a few minutes. We'll leave now, and get some rest."

The jounin team unbound their captives, then ran into the night, Kakashi in the lead. _Stage one: Obtain intel about enemy combat skills. Check. Stage two: Learn the location of the target. Check._

_Now for stage three..._


	7. Capture

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

_**Flashback: T minus 14 days: Britain**_

"Whoever organised the security here knows what they're doing. The detail is tighter than a steel drum."

The disappointing news cast a dampener on the camp. Toshi stared at Jiro. "Three days of watching and that's it?! I could have told you that before we came here!"

Jiro shrugged, and moved to the fire. Taking one of the rabbits, he bit into it carefully. It tasted bad. Genzo was a fine strategist, a cunning fighter and an experienced assassin, but his cooking was truly terrible. He continued to eat the rabbit, grimacing and gagging. Eventually, the taste overcame him, and he tossed the carcass into the woods. "I vote Genzo never cooks again. All in agreement?"

Toshi raised his hand immediately. Kakashi looked at the pair, then looked at the rabbits. Slowly, he raised his hand. Genzo stood up, hurt by the team's cruelty. "Listen hear, you whippersnappers! I'll have you know I have cooked for four princes, seven ministers and even a very beautiful and _very_ picky princess, and they all found my food delicious!"

Kakashi smiled slightly. "Didn't one prince end up hospitalised with food poisoning?"

Genzo looked away, embarrassed. "Well... yes. But I did warn him not to drink any sake after my Special Squirrel Soup."

Toshi looked confused. "Special Squirrel Soup? What the hell is that?"

Genzo smiled. "Ah, young Toshi… Let me tell you about my Special Squirrel Soup…" Kakashi coughed. "Please don't. The rabbits are bad enough…" Jiro and Toshi burst out laughing.

Genzo muttered a few curses. Kakashi continued. "Jiro does bring up a good point, though. We haven't had any decent food in a while. We could easily go and forage in a civilian town. Who's in favour?"

Toshi's hand was up immediately, Jiro an instant later. Genzo nodded his approval. "Then it's settled. Toshi, you have two hours before your watch begins. Get to the town and bring back as much as you can carry."

Toshi leapt to his feet, and sprinted into the night, excited at the prospect of food that wasn't prepared by Genzo.

Jiro took a seat on a rock, withdrawing a small notebook. He tossed it to Kakashi without comment. Kakashi lifted his protector and opened his left eye. He skimmed through the notebook quickly, memorising the contents in a few moments, then passed it to Genzo, who nodded his thanks and read through it carefully. Kakashi closed his eye and replaced his head protector. He looked over at Jiro, who was rubbing his eyes. _The strain's getting to him,_ he thought. _I'll try and give him a break soon._

Jiro was one of the very few long-range specialists in Konoha. His clan were renowned for their vision. While they lacked the all-round sight of the Hyuugas, they could see accurately for a greater distance. This made him perfect for reconnaissance work. In battle, Jiro's eyesight was used to great effect with his archery skills. Using a chakra enhanced bow, a clan secret for years, Jiro could hit a pinhead at over a thousand meters. However, prolonged use of his telescopic vision drained him, and in the worst case could cause the eyes to deteriorate. Jiro was applying some protective eye drops. His routine done, he settled down to get some sleep.

They had made a lot of progress since leaving Upper Chorlesbury. Kakashi gave the team a full briefing on what he had seen with the aid of the Sharingan, and Genzo had supplemented this with a general tactical approach. Finding the location of the target had been more difficult, but Genzo had visited a few towns and made some enquiries. The mansion was five miles away from their campsite, and their target rested within. They had been observing the perimeter for three days. Jiro's notes on the schedule were fairly comprehensive. The next step was to attempt an infiltration of the mansion to get an idea of the interior. This was the riskiest part of the mission, the part on which success and failure truly depended. Genzo and Kakashi had been deliberating for most of the day, trying to decide who should take the task of entering the house.

Kakashi looked at his team members. "Everyone, get some rest. We'll need it."

* * *

The pub went silent as the two men walked in. The crowd took in their blue cloaks, their robes, their foreign features. Some men seemed apprehensive, assuming them to be Death Eaters; others welcomed the sight of newcomers. The two men walked over to the bar. In a quiet voice which split the silence like a knife, one of them said "We apologise for any disturbance, but my friend and I are tourists. We were wondering if we might have a drink here…"

The barman stared hard at the man. "Few years ago, wouldn't have been a problem. Now though… I'm sure you understand that times are bad now. Lot of folks round here don't like newcomers. Can't be sure who to trust."

The man nodded. "I give you my word that we are no threat. And as proof of our sincerity..." The man reached slowly into his robes and extracted a wand. He placed it on the table. His companion followed suit. The barman stared at the two wands, then at their owners. Shaking his head, he smiled ruefully. "You men can stay. And I apologise for the trouble. Here, first one's on the house."

He pulled them both a pint of local beer. The two men accepted, and drank it appreciatively. The pub returned to normal, the chatter resuming. The two men moved over to a table, and sat down. They were a strange pair. One was very tall, with dark hair and skin, the other was slim and pale with black hair. They sat in silence, sipping their beer. A few witches, notorious for their appetites, approached them. The men were polite enough, but gave no hint of interest in them. The witches left, disappointed.

Eventually, the slim man returned to the bar. The barman was polishing some pint glasses. "How can I help, young man?" The slim man looked around, checking that he wouldn't be overheard. "I was hoping to get some information," he whispered, "about a certain Mr Riddle." The barman stiffened. "How do you know that name?!" he muttered, furiously. The slim man looked him in the eye, and then took off the glove on his right hand. The barman looked down, and saw the ring. His face changed. Looking at the floor, he mumbled "I live to serve, master. What do you require?" The slim man asked a question. He listened carefully to the answer, then left. His companion followed.

When they reached the forest, they released the Henge. They had a lot of work to do.

* * *

It was four hours past sunset when the infiltration team left the camp, although team was a rather optimistic title. Jiro was too tired to accompany him, so Toshi was flying solo. He checked the map of the forest. Jiro had spent most of the first day mapping the area, and had devised a series of paths and markers to ease travel from the camp. Toshi was currently on route seven, one which was supposedly easy to navigate and lacking in obstacles. _Knowing Jiro, he's probably set a few traps on it_. Shaking his head at his companion's tendency to joke around, he turned left at a white stone next to a yew tree. Three clicks and closing. He maintained the chakra enhanced sprint for another two hundred metres, then he arrived at the red stone. He returned to normal speed, and focused on suppressing his chakra as much as possible. The first ward was a variation on a heat camera: it sounded an alarm if anything with a human sized magical signature went through it. Toshi forced himself to suppress all his energy, then slipped through. The ward extended for around five metres. Toshi walked it, every step agonising with the effort of holding in his chakra. Finally, he was through. He returned to his usual speed, making a right turn at an oak tree with an oddly low hanging branch. He looked at the map. From the tree, eight hundred metres to the second ward. He kept running. _There!_ The telltale red stone was ahead, signalling another ward. This time, there was less to worry about. He approached the stone, and a face appeared in front of him.

"Password?" it said, in a voice like a nail dragging on stone.

"Noxferrox" Toshi replied. The face disappeared. Toshi stepped passed, and walked slowly. He saw the next marker. He stood on top of it, then turned thirty degrees right and began running. The last ward was a kilometre away. He passed the two hundred marker, then the four. He kept running. He passed the two hundred marker, then the four. He kept running. He passed the… _What the fuck?!_

He stopped. He slowed to a walk. He passed the green two hundred marker. He kept walking. He passed the brown four hundred marker. He kept walking. Then he saw it. The green marker. _Genjutsu! _He halted, closed his eyes, and began to focus. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he concentrated. Finally, he did it. Opening his eyes, he stepped forward. Two figures were waiting for him. Toshi whipped out his kodachi. The figures approached. He recognised them instantly.

_Oh, shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!!_

Toshi turned once, then stepped into his shadow. The two figures were unconcerned. The first attack was at the large one. He blocked it casually with his sword, then punched Toshi in the gut. Toshi disappeared again. This time he attacked the smaller figure. He thrust the kodachi at the man's groin. He didn't even see the counter. The kodachi went flying. Toshi slammed into a tree. The figures walked towards him.

Wheezing, Toshi stared up at them. "You won't get any fucking answers from me, you dirty bastards!"

A fist crashed into his jaw. "Keep a civil tongue, boy. Remember who your betters are."

Toshi spat in the man's face. A foot stamped on his shoulder. Toshi refused to cry out. "So, a tough guy? Let's see just how tough!" The big man grabbed Toshi's kodachi. His companion held up his hand. "Stop it, Kisame-san. We aren't here for this."

Kisame spat. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

Itachi stared at the ninja below him. "Take us to your boss."

Toshi glared back. "No!"

Itachi shook his head slightly. "That wasn't a request. You will take me to your boss." Toshi stared into the sharingan eyes, watching them thicken.

Then everything went black.


	8. Defeat

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

Genzo was the first to see them. He drew a kunai, tied a tag to it and hurled it into a tree, then turned and sprinted towards the camp.

By the time he'd gotten there, Kakashi had kicked out the fire and was waiting in an ambush spot. Jiro was hanging from a large oak tree, an arrow nocked and five more in front of him. Drawing a kunai, Genzo found his own spot.

Kakashi looked at him, fingers moving swiftly. - How many? - he asked. - 2 - replied Genzo.

- Wizard or Shinobi? -

- Shinobi. -

- Rank? -

- S -

Kakashi stiffened. As carefully as possible, he signed the next question.

- Red Moon? -

- Yes. -

Kakashi thought for a moment. Then he pointed at his left eye. Genzo nodded. Kakashi closed his eyes. _Them..._ Eyes open, he reached a decision.

- I'll engage them. You and Jiro leave. The mission takes priority -

Genzo nodded again. Signalling to Jiro, the two of them left the camp. Kakashi watched them leave. _Guess I'll be joining you soon, Obito-kun. Hope you've kept a place for me._

* * *

Toshi was doing his best, but he couldn't trick them forever. Once past the wards, he had tried everything he could think of to buy time, travelling the wrong paths, taking all the obvious routes. He'd managed to go past every exposed point on the way, praying that the sentry would see him at one of them and warn the camp. He took diversionary paths, trying to find an opportunity to make a break for it, but whenever he'd found a good place, Kisame would smack him with the Samehada, draining him of chakra for a moment. He didn't know who was more terrifying, the slim Uchiha or the gian shark-man. Either way, he was royally screwed.

Finally he was out of options. Kisame was getting angry. He grabbed the smaller Leaf-nin and kicked him in the stomach. Toshi doubled over, winded. Kisame kneed him in the face, sending him sprawling backwards. Before he could hit the ground, the shark-man had grabbed him by the throat. "Take us to the fucking site, no more fucking messing around!! Understand?!" Couging and choking, Toshi struggled to speak. The fingers tightened around his throat. Black flecks rained in front of his eyes, a roaring sound was pounding his ears. His head was being battered like a drum. Kisame hurled him into a tree. Toshi collapsed. "Get up, you little fucker!" Slowly, Toshi regained his feet. "Did you understand?" Toshi nodded slowly.

They walked on, Toshi in the lead, Kisame and the Samehada close behind. Itachi drifted like a ghost some ten feet behind. Toshi's breathing was ragged, he felt nauseous and dizzy. Even so, he managed to notice the tag attached to the kunai. _The team knew!_ He prayed they had something set up. He still had another few shots left in him.

They reached the camp a few moments later. Kakashi was waiting for them. Genzo and Jiro were nowhere to be seen. Toshi looked at his commander. He saw the imperceptible signal. _Now!_ Drawing a kunai, he turned, looking for a shadow…

Kisame stopped him. He blocked the thrust, his hands snaking out over Toshi's arm. Grabbing it tightly, he snapped it. Toshi screamed. A knee hurtled into his groin with the force of an express train. Toshi hit the ground heavily. He struggled limply to get to his feet. The Samehada crashed into his head before he got halfway up. Toshi went down, out cold.

Itachi stepped forward. "Kakashi-sempai."

Kakashi grimaced. "What do you want?"

Itachi was expressionless. "Merely to remove a thorn from our side. We - "

A wave of arrows cut him off. Itachi spun away. In that instant, Kakashi disappeared. Kisame leapt forward with a howl of rage, the Samehada swinging viciously. "LEAF DISARM!" A thunderbolt strike sent the sword spinning through the air and crashing into a tree. Kisame was stunned. He spun round, enraged, straight into...

"INITIAL LOTUS!"

The kick crashed into his jaw, hurling him from his feet. He felt arms grip him like a vice, turning him in mid-air, then saw the ground rush towards him…

BOOM!

The forest floor exploded.

Genzo winced for a moment, then turned to check on his opponent. The crater was nearly two meters deep. It was also empty. Genzo grimaced, then back-flipped. The Samehada slashed through the empty space. "Remember me, shark-man?" Kisame grinned viciously. "How could I forget?" The Samehada swung again. Genzo rolled beneath it. "Lucky I've seen that taijutsu before," the missing-nin continued. "Remind me to thank that green freak of yours when I get the chance." He lunged forward, the great sword thrusting to his enemy's heart. Genzo spun away from it, his arm flashing up. A shuriken hurtled towards the shark-man. He knocked it aside with his blade, then caught the shadow in his left hand. "I heard you fought Gai. I heard he broke your ribs too." Kisame snarled in fury, his sword flashing at his foe's head. Genzo disappeared. "Right here, huh?" The kick was like a hammer, but Kisame ignored it. He used the impact to spin round, and crashed the hilt into Genzo's temple. Genzo flew sideways, crashing hard into a tree. A jet of water slammed into him, hardening into a pillar that pinned his shoulder to the wood. Genzo screamed. Kisame grinned viciously, stepping forward and raising his sword. "Good bye, leaf-man. See you in hell!" The sword swung down…

* * *

"We seem to have a stand-off."

The white-haired jounin didn't react to his enemy's words. The dagger at his throat made it difficult to frame a reply. Itachi seemed barely aware of the knife pressed against his groin. They stood there, neither one able to move for fear of retaliation. "To all intents and purposes, this is a dead heat," the Uchiha continued, "but the reality is very different from our perceptions…"

He vanished. Kakashi stumbled, then righted himself, turning and stabbing with the kunai. Itachi wasn't there. He felt the kunai press against his throat.

"A ninja must look beneath the underneath. Isn't that right, Kakashi-sempai?"

He didn't feel any movement. The world suddenly went black.

* * *

Jiro searched desperately for the targets. The explosion from Genzo's Lotus had made him lose sight of his enemies, and now he couldn't find them. The campsite was empty. _They couldn't have disappeared! Concentrate!!_ He scanned the area again. Nothing. The clearing was empty. Something was definitely wrong…

He closed his eyes for a moment. Then, he looked again. The explosion had kicked up an enormous amount of soil and rock. But the clearing looked untouched…

_Genjutsu!_

The moment he realized it, he felt whisper of sound behind him. He spun round, dropping his bow and drawing a kunai. Nothing. He looked round desperately.

"Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu!"

The fireball struck him full in the face. He staggered back, half blinded. A blow to the side, another to the head and a kick to the chest sent him flying into a tree. He hit the ground with a thud. Painfully, he looked up and saw…

Two swirling eyes.

A flock of ravens erupted into him, rending at his flesh and clawing at his bones. He screamed. A raven appeared above him, screaming harshly. It hurtled down towards his eyes.

He saw nothing more.

* * *

The victory was total. Kisame looked at the four barely conscious, bound ninjas staked out in the soil. He looked at his partner. "It would have been easier to kill them."

Uchiha Itachi didn't answer. He'd found Jiro's stock of eye medicine, and was busy applying it, frowning all the while. "Interesting. It works."

Kisame, looked at him flatly. "What do you expect? Those freaks need to take care of their eyes."

Itachi shook his head. "No, I mean it works on me. My vision is slightly better. A few more treatments, and I might even regain my sight fully."

Kisame was surprised. "Fully? You told me that your vision was fine!"

Only someone who spent a lot of time around the mass-murderer would have been able to spot it. Itachi was embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you."

Kisame spat. "Too late for that. How bad is it?"

Itachi carried on applying the medicine. "Small print became difficult to read about two months ago. When I used Tsukuyomi on that wizard." Kisame frowned at that. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," the Uchiha continued, "but I really didn't want you worrying. It would have done no good. You would have insisted on torturing every prisoner we took, and that would have taken too long."

Kisame pondered this. His partner did have a point. "Fine. Anything else you haven't told me? How's your health?"

Itachi didn't reply. Kisame looked annoyed. "Hey, I said how's your health? Is that wizard medicine working?"

Itachi gave an imperceptible nod.

"Guess those freaks are good for something."

Kisame began the laborious process of wrapping his sword. Itachi continued applying the eyedrops.

When they were done with their separate pursuits, Kisame grabbed the bag of food Toshi had taken from the village. "Hey, they have real meat! And fresh veg!! These leaf-kids eat well!" He laid out a few logs and some twigs. Then he looked at Itachi. His partner paid no attention. "Umm, would you mind?" Itachi sighed slightly. "Katon: Cooking Fire no Jutsu" he whispered. The logs caught light immediately. Kisame retrieved a pot from his prisoners' packs. Pouring some water in, he added the vegetables, a little salt and some herbs. He placed the pot on the fire. Then, he speared some strips of beef with a kunai, and set them to roast.

When it was ready, the two missing-nins settled down to eat. And though neither one would ever admit it, they both had the same thought.

_This is nice…_

* * *

Kakashi was the first to wake. As soon as he stirred, Kisame removed the peg that kept him pinned to the ground, and roughly pulled him to a sitting position. Kakashi stared. A small cooking fire was merrily burning, pot of stew boiling on top. The meat that Toshi had stolen from the village was roasting slowly on a makeshift grill. The only thing missing from the picture was a guitar, some marshmallows and a sing-along. He would never have believed it, but the two Akatsuki members were surprisingly domestic.

The musing lasted mere moments. Itachi walked over to him. "I hope you're ready to listen now, Kakashi-sempai."

Kakashi cast an eye over his injured companions. "I don't think I have much choice."

Itachi was expressionless, as usual. A little light-headedly, Kakashi wondered if the man ever smiled. Then he realized his captor was speaking.

"As I was saying earlier, we're here to remove a thorn from our side. Two thorns, to be precise. One is our former colleague, the other is the wizard he's friendly with."

Kakashi was surprised. "I thought you had a deal with the wizard?"

Itachi nodded. "We did. He broke it."

Kakashi frowned. "What do you care if he works with Orochimaru? Wizards aren't strong. He wouldn't add that much power to him."

Kisame stepped in. "It's not just about strength, scarecrow. It's also about smarts. You never heard that brains beat brawn?"

Itachi continued. "My partner has it right. Voldemort isn't strong, but his knowledge and skills are considerably vast. At the very least, he could assist Orochimaru's experiments with his knowledge of magic, at the worst…"

Kisame snarled. "Let's just say we wouldn't like to see a man like Orochimaru gain access to what that wizard has locked in his dirty little mind."

Kakashi looked confused. "So what do you want with us?"

Kisame laughed. "And you're supposed to be smart!"

Itachi frowned at him slightly. "Please forgive my partner. He tends to be a little brusque. We, temporarily, share the same goal. And numbers always help. If we can help you destroy the wizard, we achieve our objective. It makes sense for two groups seeking the same aim to work together."

Kakashi was stunned. "You're proposing a truce? The Fifth would never accept that!"

Kisame laughed again. "Big boobs is far away, scarecrow. What happens on a mission stays on a mission. We'll help you out here, boy. Unless you think you could do without our help…"

Kakashi considered this. _If Tsunade ever found out…_ he shuddered at the thought. Still, they were right.

"Very well. I accept."

The Akatsuki pair smiled slightly. Kakashi stared at them.

"So what's the plan?"


	9. Omake!

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

_**The First Omake chapter!**_

* * *

_**Interlude: Tactical Information**_

Genzo passed the dossier to Kakashi. "Here. Some tactical intel on our destination, written by a shinobi. I think you'll find it useful."

Kakashi took the dossier. He began reading.

_Britain is an island, near the continent of Europe. Like most of the West, it has no shinobi, but it does feature a large wizard population. As per most of the West, wizards keep themselves entirely separate from the non-chakra manipulating sections of the population. This means that there are two different cultures there: the civilian, and the secret._

_For the super-pervert, Britain is an interesting place to visit. No pervert could miss the opportunity to explore London. While London lacks the sophistication of some of its mainland counterparts (most notably Amsterdam and Paris), it does offer a variety of attractions to satisfy the perverted lust in all of us. Based on my (numerous and AWESOME) experiences, here is a guide on how to appreciate the naughty side of London._

_1. Civilian London_

_The pervert's journey starts with a trip to any central London bar on a Friday night. The British have a culture of drinking, and tend to be very bad at it. The women will always wear skimpy clothing and they tend to drink as much, if not more, than the men. This makes the bar culture very fruitful for pick-ups. My first visit nearly sent me crazy: I had never seen so many women flashing the public without charge! Some of them could have done it professionally!_

_The next step is to explore one of the numerous 'Gentleman's Clubs'. Having visited around twenty of them, I highly recommend Spearmint Rhino. It is reasonably priced, offers a convivial atmosphere and the drinks pretty good too. The waitresses are of a high standard (often they double as the entertainment) and they are always willing to please. As for the show, it is pretty much exactly what you would expect. No pretensions to art (unlike Paris), and no REALLY weird stuff (unlike Amsterdam), just straight-up, old-fashioned strippers and some very talented pole-dancers. After having seen some truly kinky stuff on the continent, I was very relieved to see a good old fashioned show. The only slightly hair-raising moment was when a woman came out with a snake, but the lizard was purely cosmetic._

_After the bars and catching a few shows, the next thing is to get a lap-dance. Spearmint Rhino do reasonably good ones, but the best by far can be found in Sunset Strip. The girls cater to any taste, and carry out their jobs with a level of professionalism I had formerly only seen in Amsterdam. The price wasn't bad – for a reasonable fee, I got a good half-an-hour's worth of dance, which left me very… excited._

_After a dance, the pervert has two choices. He can return to a bar to find a lovely lady to go home with, or he can find a good professional. I'd personally recommend the first option. It might be a little more trouble than a professional, but the… 'companions' in England tend to be sub-standard, with no real pride in their work, and they overcharge hideously. A nice girl from a bar will guarantee a night's entertainment (provided you slip a soldier pill in their drink), they take a lot more care over you and the only thing you have to deal with is the odd case of guilt in the morning (which has an incidence of roughly one in seven for single women and one in three for others)._

_London also offers a fine range of erotic cinema, showing films from round the world and from home. The cinemas themselves range from pleasant to horrendously seedy, so really something for everyone._

_Next installment: read about the saucy side of wizard London!!_

Kakashi looked up from the article.

"Tactical Intel?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Make Out Tactics."

Kakashi collapsed, choking with laughter.

* * *

_**Interlude: Toshi's Super Secret Stealth Mission!**_

Toshi walked into the dimly lit room. He checked the time. Three hours. It would take around an hour to get back. _Perfect…_

He had slipped away from the camp, leaving a bunshin in his sleeping bag. Kakashi and Genzo were already fast asleep, Jiro was on watch and the wizard had been out for a good few hours. He knew he was breaking the rules, but that's what a shinobi did, right? Besides, it was worth it…

He took a seat in front of the stage, and took out a bunch of notes. The stripper stalked over, her hips swaying sinuously. _Oh, Yeah! _He held up a fifty pound note. The stripper bent down and took it using her cleavage, then planted a kiss on his cheek. Toshi felt like he had dies and gone to heaven. Grinning foolishly, he looked at the man sitting next to him. Recognition struck him like a bucket of iced water.

"Kakashi-san?!"

Kakashi jumped. _Busted!_ Embarrassed, he looked at his young sub-ordinate. Mustering all the self-possession he could find, he put on his sternest face. "What the hell are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in the camp! Who's guarding it?!"

Toshi held his hands up. "It's ok, Genzo and Jiro are still there! And you were supposed to be there too!"

Kakashi sighed. There was nothing for it. "Ok, fine. But this stays between us, right?"

Toshi nodded. Kakashi looked back at the stripper. She really was something else. Silky blonde hair and a figure to die for, topped off by a come hither look that sent shivers down the spine of every man in the room. He scanned the rest of the room, feeling something was wrong. An older man was receiving a lap dance, with many loud noises of appreciation, and his younger friend was drinking shots off a waitresses cleavage. _What the…?!_ He marched over to them.

"Genzo! Jiro! Explain yourselves!"

The two men, caught red-handed, stood up guiltily. "Umm, well… we…"

Kakashi was furious. "Where's the contact?!"

Genzo silently pointed to his right. William Borritt was whooping with delight as a pair of blondes cavorted on his lap. Kakashi struggled to maintain his furious countenance. It was a hopeless battle. He burst out laughing. Genzo and Jiro soon joined in. Toshi was already cackling like a madman. Borritt hadn't even noticed.

The four ninjas settled down at a table. The night was still young…

Kakashi looked at his team. "Just remember, what happens in Britain…" His team grinned. "…Stays in Britain" they said in unison.

Seven hours, twenty seven cocktails and one thousand two hundred pounds later, four very tired ninjas carried a comatose wizard back to the camp. They would all agree: Good Kami, was it worth it!

* * *

_**Interlude: Red Moon over Diagon Alley**_

Tom the barman was used to weird sights. He'd been there when Harry Potter returned to the wizarding world. He'd been there when the Minister for Magic stayed during the hunt for Sirius Black. He'd been there when the thirteen broke from Azkaban. He's been there when Voldemort's return was announced. Still, sometimes life had the capacity to surprise. And the quantity that his newest customer was drinking certainly qualified.

It hadn't been the best of days for Kisame. The journey to the West had been long and boring. They'd boarded a ship from Wave country, taken a flight from Tokyo to China, taken a portkey to India then another to Damascus, spent a day waiting, then arrived in London at the inter-continental way-station. A trip on the Knight Bus took them to the Leaky Cauldron, where, instead of the mattresses they had specified in their reservation, they found one double bed, which of course Itachi had taken. Kisame was forced to sleep on an overly soft armchair, which had put his back out of joint. Now, with a stiff back and a good seven hours to kill, he decided to amuse himself with a drink. Instead, he'd somehow ended up in a drinking bout with an enormous, hairy man. Aglid, or something like that. Kisame didn't care about the man's name. He just wanted to get rid of him.

Another bottle of Firewhisky arrived at the table. Kisame felt nauseous. He'd managed to cope with it so far by using chakra to filter the alcohol, but now he was way too drunk. His opponent looked no worse for wear. "C'mon," he said, "Drink up. Ruddy good shtuff this!" Kisame gagged. He took a drink. Then he hit the ground with a loud thud.

Hagrid looked at his fallen foe. "No head fer drink, theshe foraign chappiesh…" Slowly, like a mighty tree in the forest, he toppled to the floor and began snoring.

* * *

Itachi struggled to maintain his composure. "No, I'm not at school, nor do I intend to be." The girls gasped. "But you have to go to school! It's blah blah blah…" Itachi drifted away. He'd gone into a shop to meet a contact, but the place had been full of school aged children buying supplies. A gaggle of girls had crowded around him, asking a million and one questions. He had no choice but to be polite. He looked for the contact. There were still ten people in the queue ahead. Gritting his teeth, he forbore. _Remember the mission, remember the mission, remember the mission…_

As the chatter of fan-girls gradually eroded his sense of self, he wondered whether Sasuke had ever had to deal with it, and if so, how. Then, an idea struck him, swiftly making the seals, he created a bunshin, then used a Henge to make it look like Sasuke, though admittedly a little older and a little taller. The girls spotted the clone immediately, and swarmed towards it. The clone panicked and ran. Alone at last, Itachi permitted himself a small smile. _The things I do to my little brother… Poor boy._

_**A word from the Author: I hope you enjoyed this little chapter. Tell me if it worked, as I may well put in a few more in the future. Thanks to my reviewers, hopefully you'll be the first of many more. As ever, feedback on style and content is welcome. I'd like to get this little tale as good as possible for its (eventual) stunning climax...**_

* * *


	10. A Meeting

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

_**T minus 14 days: Tharly Mansion, Great Britain**_

"So you're the one they came to."

Tom Marvolo Riddle, Heir to Salazar Slytherin and Dark Wizard beyond compare, remained impassive. He sat on his chair, idly twirling his wand, as the speaker marched forward into the light. The occasional spark fluttered from the end as the wand spun delicately round his long fingers. The speaker stepped further into the dimly lit chamber, his movements graceful and sinuous. Long hair hung lankly to his shoulders, a smile twisted across his lips, eyes filled with a cold malice. "What, no calls for the guards? No rage at an intruder? I'm surprised. Most men would be furious to see an intruder march into their inner sanctum."

Voldemort regarded him coldly. "I am not most men."

The speaker stopped, mere feet away. "I suppose you aren't."

Waving his wand lazily, Voldemort summoned a second throne. The newcomer sat. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am - "

The Dark Wizard cut him off. "The snakes told me you were coming. They always recognize their kin. So, Orochimaru, Sannin of Konoha, what brings you to my land?"

Orochimaru looked at the Dark Wizard. "Didn't your creatures get that far?"

Voldemort flicked his wand gently. A table appeared, bearing a pot of tea and two ornate cups. He pointed at the pot. It rose slowly in the air then poured its contents into the two cups. Then it disappeared. "I'd much rather hear it from the source."

Orochimaru kept on smiling. "My former colleagues received some assistance from you. I'd like to ask for the same."

A cup rose from the table into Voldemort's left hand. The Dark Lord sipped gently. "That, I think, is impossible. An agreement was made. I will help no others, least of all you. If you require magic, find another wizard. I would recommend my old master as being the next best alternative, though I fear you and he would not get along."

Orochimaru snarled. "I could easily force you to comply!"

Voldemort made no move. "You could. But I am not without power. You would be forced to kill me, and then where would you be? Threats won't work on me, Orochimaru. You'll need something much better."

Orochimaru considered this. He had never expected the wizard to behave like this. Fury he could have dealt with. It would have given him leverage. But for the wizard to remain so calm, merely sipping his tea, playing with his wand like a schoolboy lounging after class… Finally, he spoke. "Well, then. Why don't you tell me what you want?"

Voldemort permitted himself the slightest of smiles. "I want what everyone wants. Power."

Orochimaru nodded. "Then why keep an agreement with my former colleagues? They will one day challenge and destroy your power."

"Perhaps."

"No, Dark Wizard. They will destroy your power. Once they assemble the jinchuuriki, they will possess a weapon capable of destroying any nation in seconds. For all your spells, you could not resist that for long. What was it they offered you?"

Finally, Voldemort showed emotion. Rage twisted across his features for an instant. Then he was calm. "A threat and a promise."

Orochimaru understood. "I can give you far, far more…"

Voldemort looked at him suspiciously. "Go on."

"I can give you the world on a plate. Your knowledge and my power, imagine the combination! And as for my former colleagues… I have the power to destroy them too."

Voldemort laughed derisively. "You lie. I know they are stronger than you!"

Orochimaru smiled. "Then, yes. But now… I have the key to realizing the ultimate power. Power beyond their imagination. They will pose little threat to me, I guarantee it."

Voldemort frowned. "And were I to accept… When our foes are gone, and we have control… What then?"

Orochimaru shrugged expansively. "Then we will see which is the stronger: magic or jutsu. But it will be one against one, your skill against my strength. Far better odds than Akatsuki would offer."

Voldemort considered this. Orochimaru waited expectantly.

"I accept."

Orochimaru smiled triumphantly. "I shall return in a few days. We can start work from then."

With that, he rose, gave the slightest of bows and walked into the shadows. Voldemort watched him gone. "Blake?"

The witch stepped forward from the shadows. "He's gone, Master."

Voldemort nodded. "Tell me what you saw."

Cassandra Blake, the Mystic of Surrey, knelt before her master. "My eyes saw his power, Master. He has the power of the snake inside him. He is ruthless, ambitious, but there is something… He is driven by grief. And deep inside, he still holds feeling for his old comrades."

Voldemort nodded. Blake's was a Reader, capable of detecting what was hidden in people's hearts when in the same room as them. Her skills were matched only by her fanatical and unswerving devotion to her master. A truly useful pawn. She had warned him of Akatsuki's power, and now she did the same for his newest ally. He realized that Blake was speaking. "… Master, why would you agree? Surely you see that he cannot be controlled?"

Voldemort looked at her coldly, watching her fear, then smiled. "Nothing is ever as it seems, dear girl. Nothing is ever as it seems. You still have much to learn."

* * *

"It's settled. The assault will commence four days from now. Keep a close watch on the mansion until then."

The Konoha team were silent. Itachi's plan made sense, but trusting the one of the greatest traitors the village had ever known… It weighed heavily on their hearts. Eventually, Kakashi spoke up. "Everyone get some rest. We'll go back on rotation at dawn." The team rose, a little stiffly, still feeling the effects of their recent battle. Still, they were able to reassemble the camp site and prepare their sleeping bags.

Toshi walked over to the Uchiha. "Umm… Thanks." Itachi stared at him coldly. Toshi looked away, then stepped over to his bags, settling himself down to sleep. He had regained consciousness to find the legendary missing-nin carefully re-setting his broken arm. The shock had nearly knocked him out again. The Uchiha hadn't said a word, merely healed him and walked away. The arm felt a little stiff, but it seemed perfectly usable. He closed his eyes. _If someone had told me I'd be working with Akatsuki…_ Slowly, he drifted off.

Kisame had disappeared, claiming he was going to scout the area. Kakashi watched his team fall asleep, then looked at Itachi. The missing-nin stared back. "Shouldn't you go on patrol, Kakashi-sempai?" Kakashi looked away. "I should. But first…"

"Go ahead, Kakashi-sempai. Ask your question."

Kakashi was silent for a while. He'd never thought he'd have a chance to talk to the Uchiha again. After Itachi had left the village, a kill on sight order was issued. Not that it mattered: few, if any, jounin would be able to match him for more than an instant. Kakashi gathered his thoughts. "Why? Why choose to work with us? Why not simply kill us?" he asked. Itachi gave the slightest of smiles. "Why ask for reasons? Isn't it enough that you have our aid?" Kakashi pondered the reply.

"Then what happens when we're done?"

Itachi rose smoothly. "Let the future take care of itself, Kakashi-sempai" he said. He turned and began walking. Kakashi watched him leave. Suddenly he halted. "You did a lot for Sasuke," he said, without turning. "And Obito liked you. I'll be in contact soon."

Kakashi closed his eye and nodded. Itachi disappeared.

* * *

_**T minus 10 days: Near the Tharly Mansion**_

Jiro had taken point. He sprinted, some two hundred meters ahead of the team. They were almost at the target. It was one hour past sunset, and the shadows had lengthened to provide excellent cover. He was near the edge of the woods, the open plain that surrounded the house mere meters away. He halted, and waited for the team to catch up. He focused carefully on the house, scanning the exterior for any signs of change. The house was mostly dark. He looked up at the sky. Then he saw it. _What the…?!_

Grabbing his radio, he whispered furiously. "Abort, Abort! Mission Abort!" Despite his signal, he stayed on for a few moments more. Ten wizards were circling slowly, making their descent. The doors of the house opened. The target stood there, accompanied by a female and a small rat-like man. They strode forward, ready to meet the new arrivals. The wizards landed smoothly. Dismounting, they walked up to the target. The first knelt before him. Jiro was too far away to hear what was said, but he could see enough to understand. _New Allies…_He looked at the house. He had an unpleasant feeling that someone was watching him, but he saw nothing. Except… A brief flicker at a window that almost could have been a face… He dismissed it. Turning, he ran back into the forest. They would need to come up with a new plan after this…

* * *

Kakashi processed the information carefully. _Ten new wizards,_ he thought. _This is getting troublesome_. Reaching a decision, he looked at his team. "I'll contact our… allies. Until we can re-evaluate the situation, we'll carry on surveillance as before. The assassination is postponed."

Summoning Pakkun, Kakashi gave the nin-dog the instruction to contact the Akatsuki pair. Then, he settled down to wait. _This mission keeps on getting worse. Kami knows how it will all end…_

**A/N: A little slower than usual, but all to the point. Thanks for all the feedback, I'm pleased people enjoyed the Omake chapter. Sadly, that's probably the last moment of levity to be had. It's all dark from here. But on the plus side, I've already written up an incredible fight scene which you'll be reading shortly, so if its alright with you, we'll replace comedy with lots and lots of bloodshed...**


	11. A Date with Destiny

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

_**T Minus Seven Days: Tharly Mansion**_

"Have you decided?"

The Dark Lord inspected his guest. Since their… agreement, he had taken to keeping the snake sannin informed of developments. It seemed wise. The former Akatsuki member was a tactical genius, and brought a very different perspective to the mix. Voldemort would never admit it, but he was secretly impressed with the level of murderousness these shinobi displayed. It was on a par with his own. _If I could replace those pathetic wizards of mine with a legion of these… How blissful that would be_, he thought. Twirling his wand idly, he framed a reply. "Amycus suggested that they should take guard duty here."

Orochimaru sneered. "Amycus is a lazy, incompetent moron. Never trust security to people whose loyalty is in question. He just wants to avoid sentry duty."

The faintest ghost of a smile flashed across Voldemort's pale features. "I said the same to him." Orochimaru nodded. "I trust you tortured him for his foolishness?" The Dark Lord waved a hand lazily. "Naturally." Orochimaru nodded again. He had feared Voldemort would be weak, and incapable of doing what was necessary, but was pleased to see that the Dark Lord's heart was as cold as any shinobi's. They considered the problem. The ten new arrivals were waiting in the cellars, stripped of their wands and chained to a wall while a debate raged as to how to handle them. In principle, they should be welcomed; indeed, had they come from anywhere else, they would have been. However, Svedets was known as a protégé of Karkaroff, a man whose loyalty was anything but unswerving. The possibility of letting Order members infiltrate their ranks was too great: while the Order was not as strong as them, they could still do a great deal of harm to their plans. Voldemort suspected a spy in his organization, as too many mishaps seemed to occur, especially with regards to the cursed boy, but he could not discover their identity. No one could resist his Legillimency, and he had read every single one of his servants.

Finally, Orochimaru spoke. "While Amycus is a moron, in his stupidity, he may have stumbled on something." Voldemort looked at him curiously. Orochimaru was smiling, his face the picture of a man who has thought up a tremendous scheme. "Do you play chess, Voldemort?" The Dark Lord shook his head. He had never had an interest in childish games. He told the snake-sannin so, his tone filled with contempt. Orochimaru's smiled widened. "I thought you might say that." Voldemort looked hard at the shinobi. "Explain."

Orochimaru was still smiling. "Tell me, Voldemort, have you ever heard of a gambit?"

* * *

Jiro was standing a mile from the house, his eyes fixed on the area. There was no change to the number of guards, meaning that the ten new arrivals were all in the house. He frowned. If they were inside, then according to the plans that Itachi had given Kakashi, they should be mostly in the living area, far from the target. Therefore, their presence made no difference to the mission. He had told Kakashi as much the day before. Still, Kakashi had a right to be cautious. He continued his watch.

* * *

Voldemort nodded in comprehension. Orochimaru's explanation made a lot of sense. "I see. By offering the prize on a plate, we tempt them to take the bait, and so test their loyalty, as well as their endurance."

Orochimaru nodded. "But, to ensure security isn't compromised, we keep their detail separate from the others. They should be kept close to the house and close to you, to ensure they have opportunity to launch a strike if they wish. Every night, I will set up a clone in your room, so we may observe their intentions fully. The clone will offer mere token resistance to an assassination attempt. The rest of the security will continue as normal. No mixing of the groups is allowed. And the beauty is, by keeping them so close, they will think they are being given a position of high honour. The loyal ones will become even more loyal."

The plan was good, Voldemort decided. "Very well. I shall give their instructions immediately."

* * *

Jiro watched as four wizards exited the house and took up perimeter positions around it. _Shit_, he thought. _More guards, more watches…_ Making a note of it in his book, he continued his watch.

* * *

_**T minus 1 day: Forest outside Tharly Mansion**_

The team went through the data again. Checking Jiro's notes on the guard rotations, the descriptions of the different members and the maps Itachi had given them. Genzo and Kakashi were deep in conversation, discussing different approaches and strategies for infiltration and exfiltration, and management of the resources available to the team. In reaity, they were merely killing time. Itachi was expected in an hour, and the real planning would have to go through him.

Jiro disturbed their speech. "What should we do with the perimeter guards?" Kakashi and Genzo looked at him. "Bypass them, of course. We can't afford to reveal our presence too early." Jiro frowned. Kakashi noticed. "What is it Jiro? Do you have another solution?"

Jiro nodded. "I think we should kill them. All of them."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Jiro took a breath. He was unused to speaking so directly to his seniors. His clan was not strong, and preferred to follow orders rather than tgive them. He spoke. "These wizards… They will know who we are after the mission. Let's give them a display of just how deadly we truly are. Send some fear trickling down their backs, and enhancing the reputation not only of shinobi, but also of the Leaf. A trail of dead in addition to the target would show them we mean business, and remind them how easily we could destroy their kind if we put our minds to it."

Kakashi considered Jiro's suggestion. The boy rarely took much initiative, but to see him make a stand on this made Kakashi proud. He was finally growing into his mantle as a jounin. "We'll consider it."

* * *

**_--Mission Document--_**

_**AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY!**_

_**Mission Code: CX11-8876**_

_**Location: Ref 116.318, Britain**_

_**FOR ARCHIVAL USE ONLY.**_

Stage 4: Infiltration and Termination of Target

_Intel:_

Access point: Lower door, servant's entry (Point Charlie) (see attached map).

Target location: Level 2, Door 3 (See attached map)

Security: 3 unmanned alarm systems surrounding location. Five patrol units on outdoor sweep. 4 perimeter guards.

PPs: Unknown number of internal guards. Sentient snake on internal sweeps.

_Method:_

4-man team approach location in assault formation Bravo. Bypass alarm systems. Group at point Foxtrot Niner Zero (500 meters from Point Charlie). Terminate perimeter guards with extreme prejudice. Regroup at Point Charlie. Enter. Proceed via staircase L (see map) to main hall. Terminate with extreme prejudice any hostiles we encounter. Proceed via main staircase to Level 2. Regroup outside Door 3. Assault mode three infiltration. Terminate target.

_Exfiltration:_

Escape via main window. Fall back to Romeo Victor. Staggered escape at 2 minute intervals. A proceed via route 7. B proceed via route 12. C proceed via route 3. D proceed via route 19. Rendez-vous at home base. Destroy home base. Evac to coast.

_Contingencies:_

In the event of emergency, abort immediately. Fall back to Romeo Victor within five minutes.** If Romeo Victor cannot be reached within time limit:** Fall back to Lima Oscar within one hour. Once time expires, assume MIA. Leave and regroup. Contact village for instructions.

**If pursued: E&E or Self-terminate. No capture.**

_**THIS DOCUMENT IS TO BE COMMITTED TO MEMORY BEFORE TRANSMISSION AND DESTROYED AFTERWARDS!**_

**_--End of document--_**

Each member of the team obeyed the document's instructions. When they were done, Kakashi copied it in full onto a transmission scroll. Should the village be forced to mount a second operation, they would be able to consult the team's records and methods, offering them invaluable intelligence. It was time consuming, logging every detail of the mission, but Kakashi knew how many times good intel could save lives.

Finishing his task, he took an ember from the fire and burned the document. He stared at the transmission scroll, waiting for a Message Received sign. It could take a while. The shinobi in charge of communications were anal about precision, preferring to take their time and ensure perfection rather than risk copying an error. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Finally, a line of writing appeared at the bottom of the scroll. _Message received and copied_, it said, followed by an authorization code that Kakashi recognized as belonging to Hyuuga Hinata. He cast the scroll on the fire. There were no regulations about this, but Kakashi rarely felt comfortable using the same transmission scroll twice. Plus, it gave him a lighter burden. Of course, the scroll's twin would also be burning now. He hoped Hinata had been briefed about his… peculiarities when it came to communication, or she would be in for a very warm shock…

* * *

Hinata cursed, an action so out of habit that it caused the entire communication room to turn round and stare. The scroll was on the floor, merrily burning to ash. She looked at her hand. The skin was blackened. It had taken her completely by surprise. She had been about to place the scroll back on the 'Active' rack when it had burst into flames. _That Kakashi…_ she thought. She stalked off to find some bandages. Someone would be in for a hell of a reception when they got back from Britain…

* * *

_**T minus 1 hour**_

Just beyond the third ward, the team paused. Itachi had decided not to accompany them, preferring to assist Kisame in the capture of a witch. They were less than an hour away from point F90. Kakashi felt a slight foreboding. He shrugged it off. _Pre-mission jitters, _he thought. _Never free of them_. He looked at his team.

"This is it, men. From here on, we proceed in silence. Anyone want to say something?."

The team looked at him. Jiro was scratching his head, Toshi was staring open-mouthed. Genzo chuckled silently. Kakashi frowned.

"What?"

Genzo was the one to reply. "Kakashi-taisho, you are a great ninja and a brilliant commander. But I think you've spent too long with a genin team."

Kakashi was surprised. "What do you mean?"

Genzo struggled to keep a straight face. "I've never told any guy I love them, and I'm not gonna start now. And as for 'I won't let you die' and stuff like that, well…"

Toshi continued. "We're old enough to know the risks."

Genzo nodded, and chuckled again. Kakashi looked annoyed. "Fine. I'll say something."

The team looked at him, amused. Kakashi stared at them.

"You're all bastards."

Several owls, some mice and an overly curious fox fled into the night as the sound of laughter echoed through the clearing.

* * *

_**T minus 1 minute: Point F90**_

They had been there for four minutes. They had each chosen their target and confirmed with the group. All done in complete silence. Kakashi raised a hand. In a swift motion, he slashed it down.

_Move out!_

Each shinobi scattered, sprinting noiselessly through the shadows. Jiro raised his bow, an arrow locked on to his target. Genzo drew a kunai and waited for the right moment. Kakashi slipped through the night, closing in on his prey.

Toshi checked the light, then searched for his shadow. Stepping into it, he disappeared. Projecting it forward, he arrived at the edge of the trees. He watched the wizard flash a spell at an unsuspecting squirrel, and used the moment to project himself forward. He hung there, a deep patch of shadow black against the night. The wizard returned to his post.

_T minus 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…_

_NOW!_

Toshi moved…

* * *

-

-

-

**A/N: So we're finally here... **

**sorry, didn't edit this too carefully. should be fine now.**


	12. The Gift

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

The room stank. Mostly chemical, but with overtones of decaying matter and drying fluids, a thickness of smoke and a lingering trace of nausea. Few people could stomach it for any length of time, unless some force beyond Hell compelled them. Still, they say a man can adapt to almost anything…

The wizard gently lay his burden on the slab, then looked questioningly at the man in white. He retained enough self-possession not to gag. The man in white looked him over without interest. The wizard felt the bile building in his throat. Finally, the man tossed a mask over to him. The wizard put it on gratefully. "Are you ready?" the man enquired. The wizard raised his wand and cast a charm over a quill. The quill flew up and positioned itself over a notepad. "And you are sure it will only take down my voice?" The wizard smiled. "Quite sure." He flicked his wand. The notebook floated over to the man, who saw with satisfaction that the wizard's words had not reproduced.

The man moved over to the slab. He cast a professional eye over it. Then he began.

"Subject arrived at 23:04. Subject is male, one hundred and seventy six centimeters tall and weighs sixty nine kilos. Subject is approximately forty seven years of age."

Withdrawing a scalpel, he began the real work.

The wizard stared in fascination. He'd never seen the human body in this much detail before. It was very… colorful.

* * *

They finished working at 03:22 exactly. The man in white spoke briefly to his master over their radio link. Presently, the master appeared.

The subject was almost unrecognizable. Scars crisscrossed his entire body, appendages that no human had ever needed jutted from him like a primeval monument. Claws, scales, teeth and horns; the stuff of nightmares.

Orochimaru looked on approvingly. "Kabuto-kun, this may well be your finest work to date."

The man in white smiled, and adjusted his glasses. "Shame you can't take him for a test run. Even Sasuke might enjoy a few rounds with this one."

Orochimaru nodded. The… creature was still asleep. "How are his mental functions?"

Kabuto flicked through his notepad, searching for the right section. "Obliterated."

Orochimaru frowned. Kabuto recognized that expression. He hastened to explain. "Think of a tailed beast in it's natural state. Instinctive, aggressive and entirely uncontrolled. That's what he is. There was no way to keep any remnant of personality without keeping his memories, and, as you may remember with the last subject, that is too risky."

Orochimaru grimaced. The last... subject had been very troublesome. The repressed memories had driven him insane. Fourteen Sound Shinobi died before they managed to put him down.

Kabuto continued. "This time, I took a different approach. Wiped the slate clean, and placed a couple of instincts. He has is a terrible fear of the place he was born, but a compulsion to stay near it. Once we release him, there is no chance of him returning. I programmed him to eat human flesh. His accelerated metabolism will ensure that his hunger is perpetual. He needs at least one body per day to survive, and will die after three days of starvation."

Orochimaru nodded. "Ad his physical functions?"

Kabuto flicked through the pad again. "Based on my estimates, his strength, speed and stamina are around twice that of a subject under the second level curse seal. Chakra levels are also significantly larger. He'll be very difficult to handle."

Orochimaru grinned with delight. "Wake him up."

Kabuto obliged. He opened a large window, then moved to the table and unfastened the restraints. Taking a syringe filled with a clear fluid, he injected the creature in the chest. The creature twitched. Then, with an enormous roar, it sprang to its feet. It sniffed the air, then turned towards the window and leapt through.

Orochimaru watched approvingly. He turned to Kabuto. "No one is to leave the limits of the house unless I order them to. We wouldn't want our new pet to get too full."

* * *

The briefing had taken most of the night. The sky was slowly reddening when they had finished, the noise of birdsong grew steadily louder. They had relocated further away from the mansion, far from the original campsites. Itachi had placed a genjutsu around them to conceal them from any scouts and patrols.

Kisame had decided to sleep a little. The two sharingan users remained awake, Itachi because he rarely slept and Kakashi because he was uncomfortable with the situation as it stood.

The white-haired jounin stared at his one-time compatriot. There had been a time, long ago, when he thought that himself and Itachi were reasonably friendly. Kakashi had broken the news about Obito to the Uchiha clan in person. _Not the best idea I ever had_, he reflected. The clan went crazy, proud of the fact that Obito had attained the sharingan but furious that Kakashi now possessed his eye. Quite a number had called for his immediate execution for what they called "theft", Fugaku and Yashiro especially. Shisui had defended him, albeit half-heartedly, mostly out of respect for his dead relative. Minato arrived, and tried to reason with the Uchihas, but there looked to be little chance of things succeeding, until finally the Third had come. Dismissing Kakashi, he and Minato had a private conversation with the Uchihas. Kakashi had waited outside. That was where he had first met Itachi. He was just a kid then, not even in the academy. Quiet and withdrawn, he had toddled over to him and pointed at his eye. "Obito" he had said. Kakashi was shocked. "Yeah, kid. Obito." Itachi said nothing. Kakashi had stared at him for a long time. "Hey, kid." Itachi looked up. "How did you know?" Kakashi had asked. Itachi stayed silent for a long time. Faintly, Kakashi remembered hearing the debate raging within the house. "No one is kind like him." Itachi had said. He had walked away. Kakashi stared after him. Then Minato had called him inside.

The next time he saw Itachi was at the monument. He'd been there, paying his respects, when Itachi had appeared. He looked at the boy, then turned his focus back to the monument. The two of them had stayed there, like that, until Itachi walked off. He had to get to class, he said.

When Kakashi was assigned his first mission after Obito's death, he had gone to the monument. He'd spent hours explaining it to Obito, worrying that there would be no one to keep him company while he was gone. Then Itachi had appeared again.

"Hey, kid."

Itachi had said nothing.

"I'm gonna be gone for a while. Keep Obito company for me."

Itachi had nodded.

It became an arrangement with them. If Kakashi had to leave, Itachi would visit the grave in his absence. When Kakashi was in the village, they would sometimes meet each other there. They rarely spoke during these times, but occasionally they would let something slip. As time went by and Itachi's star rose, the meetings became less frequent, but still they would bump into each other at the monument. Sometimes they would talk. When Itachi made Chuunin, Kakashi gave him a kunai. When Kakashi was selected for the ANBU, Itachi gave him a small scroll. Then they were both ANBU members. Their meetings became rare. They worked together a few times, and found each other excellent team-mates. The few missions they did together were resounding successes, enhancing the prestige of the village worldwide, as could be imagined from anything where two sharingan geniuses worked together. The last time they met was just after Shisui died. Kakashi had been surprised to see the young Uchiha at the monument. He had heard that he was under suspicion. He didn't ask about it. Just as they left, Itachi had turned to him. "You take care of Obito well, Kakashi-sempai. Far better than any of ours would have done." Kakashi had looked at the boy carefully. Itachi sounded bitter and weary, like a man sick of the burdens placed on him. Itachi had spoken again. "He must have been a great friend to you." Kakashi had nodded. "He was the best friend I ever had, and the best friend I ever will." Itachi walked away. Kakashi heard him speak faintly. "Just like --." He never heard the name, and never got the chance to ask. That night, he left on a mission. By the time he returned, Itachi was gone, the Uchihas were almost entirely wiped out and the village was in turmoil...

Itachi was looking at him. Shaking off his memories, Kakashi turned to face the mass-murderer. He had wondered, a long time ago, if maybe had he spoken more to Itachi, tried to befriend him, things might have gone differently. Obito would have approved of that. If he was really honest, training Sasuke had been partly about making up for that, giving him the family that had been taken from him.

Itachi still said nothing. Kakashi stared at him for a while. Finally, the Uchiha spoke.

"You still don't trust me, do you, Kakashi-sempai."

Kakashi nearly laughed at this. "You're a missing-nin, a member of an organisation who seeks war with the Leaf, the killer of one of our greatest clans and the enemy of my former student. What the hell did you expect?"

Itachi said nothing. He merely looked away, staring at the sleeping form of Kisame. Still looking away, he finally replied. "Things are never as clear-cut as people think, Kakashi-sempai. Everything you have said is true, but none of it is the whole truth."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Then tell me the whole truth."

Itachi shook his head. "There is a time and a place for everything, Kakashi-sempai. If there's one thing I have learned, it is that."

Kakashi grimaced. _So much for that_, he thought. He waited for Itachi to speak again.

After another long silence, the Uchiha seemed ready to continue. "You told me a long time ago that Obito was the best friend you ever had, and the best you ever will. Is that still true?"

Kakashi looked surprised. "Yes, of course it is."

Itachi looked at him with a frightening intensity. "Are you sure?"

Kakashi nodded. Itachi gave the slightest of smiles. "Then, Kakashi-sempai, let me make a gesture of good faith. Open your left eye."

Kakashi was puzzled, but something in Itachi's voice made him obey. Lifting up his head protector, he opened his left eye. Itachi stared into it. Kakashi saw his sharingan spin, thicken, and then… _Oh shit!_ It was too late. He didn't even hear the faint whisper: "Tsukuyomi…"

* * *

He stood facing Itachi on an empty plain. The sky was black, but the world was lit in a strange half-light.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Itachi stepped closer. "You've been here before, Kakashi-sempai, so I do not need to give you the explanation. Suffice it to say I'm here to give you a gift."

Without warning, Itachi attacked, a kodachi thrusting towards Kakashi's heart. Kakashi dodged instinctively, drawing a kunai and slamming it into the Uchiha's chest. He stared as the dying man shifted, the face changing into one that was appallingly familiar…

Obito.

He had killed Obito.

He saw the light leave his best friend's eyes, he heard the faint curse of his best friend's voice.

The world changed. He faced Obito in a sparring match. They were laughing and cheering, the way friends do when play-fighting. Suddenly Obito slipped, and the kunai slammed into his throat. His breath left him, his body went numb… Kakashi had killed him.

The world changed. Obito flew at him, furious. Instinctively, Kakashi blocked and countered, but too strong! Obito choked, his breath coming ragged then not at all. He collapsed, and gargled wetly.

The world changed…

* * *

Itachi frowned a little. His eye hurt. Rising, he moved to the pack and withdrew some of Jiro's eye drops. Carefully applying them, he felt the pain lift. He stared at the trees. The leaves were more defined. He estimated that he had recovered almost seventy per cent of his eyesight, but he hadn't much of the eye medicine left. If he'd had more, he might have risked an analysis of it, but he couldn't afford to waste any of it any more. It was fortuitous that he had experimented with it. Between this and his potion, he was confident he would be able to reach the end of his scheme.

The thought reminded him. He retrieved the flask from the pack and measured out his dose. Then he drank it down. When it came to slowing the effects of the virus ravaging his system, wizard medicine was far more effective than its shinobi equivalent. Had he time to spare, he might have visited a wizard hospital. He understood that they had a cure there, but it took a long time to administer it. He sighed. Such thoughts were for a different man. He merely had to keep going and preserve as much of his strength as possible for the final encounter…

He stared at Kakashi. The Jounin was trembling. He had given him five different situations. Now he had to switch.

It had been a theory of his that he had longed to apply to Sasuke, but first he had required a test subject. The obvious lack of sharingan users made Kakashi an ideal choice. The difficulty, however, lay in the execution.

The Mangekyo Sharingan could only be obtained by killing your best friend. Itachi knew this. However, the question of whether it was the experience of doing so or the act itself was still unanswered. So Itachi had devised a plan. If, by using the Tsukuyomi, one could create an experience so real it fooled the brain and the eye, would one awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?

It was an interesting question, and it raised all sorts of points about the nature of reality that, had Itachi the time, he would have liked to have discussed. Sadly, even if he did have the time, there was no one around to discuss it with.

Running the test on Kakashi seemed like a good idea. However, there was a point to consider. Kakashi had Obito's eye. Would the Sharingan respond to Kakashi's brain, or would it respond to Obito's feelings? Which of their deaths was needed to awaken it, Kakashi's or Obito's? Itachi didn't know the answer, so he had decided to use both. Altering the genjutsu, he observed the situation. Now Obito was the one spilling Kakashi's blood. Satisfied, he settled down to wait.

The genjutsu ended, but Itachi left the white-haired jounin asleep. It took a little time for the Mangekyo sharingan to appear after the incident, and there was no sense rushing things.

He looked at leaf-nin. He had always considered him, if not a friend, then certainly someone he respected. When he had been young, Obito had been his favourite relative; the only one not obsessed with status, the only one capable of human kindness. His death had shaken the Uchiha prodigy more than a little. He had been amazed to see Kakashi carrying his uncle's eye, and, with the certainty of a child, had decided that anyone his uncle had liked that much was someone who deserved his respect.

He had enjoyed working with him, on those rare occasions they had done a mission together. They thought the same way, and back then had been of a similar level despite the age difference. He had maintained a slight interest in the white-haired man's career after leaving, noting with pleasure that he was Sasuke's instructor. There was no one else in the village he would have preferred. He smiled slightly. He wondered what Sasuke would think of his teacher and his brother running another mission together. His smile faded as he thought of Sasuke under Orochimaru's power. Things were getting more and more complicated…

* * *

Kakashi awoke. He felt less weak than the last time he had taken a Tsukuyomi, but his mind was in turmoil. He saw Itachi sitting opposite. Leaping to his feet, he whipped out a kunai, his hand trembling slightly.

"What the fuck did you do to me?!"

Itachi was impassive. "Can't you feel anything different, Kakashi-sempai?"

Kakashi stared at him, enraged. "What?!"

Itachi looked back, calmly. "Open your sharingan, Kakashi-sempai."

Kakashi opened his left eye. Then he felt it. His eye had… changed. The details were clearer, the movements more broken down, and he could feel something more… something intangible, barely glimpsed. Holding up the kunai, he stared at the relfection of his eye. It looked different. No longer three tomoe, now a stylized disc spinning gently. He dropped the kunai and stared at Itachi.

"How do I… ?"

"Focus on nothingness."

Kakashi obeyed. He emptied his mind, and stayed in a moment of emptiness for a few instants. He opened his eyes again. The world was normal again, or at least, normal for a sharingan.

"And to bring it back?"

"Focus on it being there."

Kakashi focused on the intangible feeling he had had before. Sure enough, the world changed. He released it.

Itachi spoke: "I have given you a gift, Kakashi-sempai. A gesture of my good faith. In time, you will discover techniques of your own with your new eye. But first, I must give you a warning. From this day onwards, your eye will begin a slow descent into darkness. The more you use your new eye, the faster that descent will be. There is only one known way of averting it, and that way is closed to you. But I have confidence that you will find your own way of dealing with it."

Itachi paused. "Oh, and one thing more. Those eyedrops your comrade used. They are very helpful. I suggest you get some from their clan when you return."

Itachi turned away and marched out of the clearing. Kakashi was stunned. _The Mangekyo Sharingan?! Why would he give me…_ He shook his head. He needed to rest. Sleep seemed like a good idea for him.

* * *

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**Ok, a small change here. But if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have been able to write the next chapter. Sometimes small details can cause horrendous writers block...**


	13. EndGame

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators. I'd also like to acknowledge the influence of David Gemmell, possibly the finest ever writer of fantasy in the English Language for one of the scenes. A true genius.**

* * *

Hoshigaki Kisame was not a great conversationalist. Learning this had taken all of five seconds, dealing with it took all of three hours.

It seemed like a brilliant idea at first, to use the opportunity presented to try and acquire information about Akatsuki. A sharp backhand with a warning not to talk put paid to that plan. Now, Kakashi simply waited in silence, looking out for any sign of Itachi's approach.

"You can have three questions."

Kakashi stared at the shark-faced man. "What?"

"Three questions, and I'll answer them fully. I'm bored, and seeing as I can't kill you, I need something to distract myself with. So shoot. What do you want to know first?"

Kakashi pondered this for a few moments. He dismissed any questions with simple answers; ideally he would want a long explanation that would reveal more than just what he'd asked. "Why are you partnered with Itachi?"

Kisame grinned, displaying his teeth. "Smart move. You use your first question to obtain intel about the operating procedures of the group." He paused, and the grin faded. "We make a good team. He's the brains, I'm the brawn. And no, I'm not bitter about that. I was used to leading before, back in Kirigakure, but I'm not so arrogant to think I should always be the boss. And to make sure you don't waste a question, all the pairs function like this: similar personalities and different modes of operation to ensure that our respective abilities are most useful. Next question."

Kakashi nodded. "What is Akatsuki's final objective?"

Kisame frowned. "Hard to say. There are a lot of different things at work. The Boss wants to change the balance of power, not just in the Five Countries but worldwide. I guess you could say world domination will be the outcome, but each of us have our own purpose for being there, and once that purpose is fulfilled, we'll leave."

Kakashi pondered his last question. He'd never have an opportunity like this again. "Why did Itachi join?"

Kisame shook his head. "Sorry, white-hair. That's something I don't know myself. I have my suspicions, but I really couldn't say. Question time is over."

"No."

Kisame looked surprised. "What?"

"You said I'd get three questions. With answers. Saying you don't know hardly counts."

Kisame nodded ruefully. "Fair enough. You don't get another question, but I'll tell you something for free. Lemme see… I'll tell you how I joined Akatsuki."

Kakashi nodded his approval. But before Kisame could start, a whisper of movement caught his attention. He leapt to his feet, Samehada swinging round. Itachi materialized behind him.

"It's time."

As they set off, Kisame turned to the white-haired Jounin. "Guess I'll tell you another time."

Kakashi smiled. "I'll hold you to that."

* * *

It stopped. Its tongue flickered, tasting the air. Then it turned and ran noiselessly over the blanket of leaves.

It was nameless, but not unaware. It knew the difference between the darkness behind and the light in front. The sounds of the forest welcomed it. The feel of the leaves warmed it.

Home.

It knew it was different from. Always it saw many other things, but never another like it. It was alone. And it had no name. All it had was speed, strength and the knowledge of the darkness behind.

And the hunger.

A sharp pain, never fading. When it closed its eyes it could taste the flesh, feel the warm red blood trickle down as its jaws tore the meat from the bone. Its mouth was covered in drool, its stomach grumbling in anticipation. It needed to feed, it wanted to feed.

There!

One of the frail creatures it feasted on was close. The creature slowed, then leapt to a tree. The prey moved clumsily, clattering through the leaves. The creature watched it in fascination. A black pelt that dragged across the leaves covered it almost entirely. Its head was pink, topped with brownish fur. The creature's heart pounded with anticipation.

Then it leapt.

The wizard screamed as the monster fell upon him, raising his wand in desperation. It was already too late. The claws ripped through his stomach, the mighty jaws clamped on his neck. He died almost instantly.

The creature feasted. It ate till it was full, then shook its great head and ate some more. Stalking away from what once had been a man, it felt relief that the hunger was gone.

But it would soon return.

* * *

Itachi called a halt.

"We're being tracked."

Kakashi stared. Kisame merely waited. He knew his partner well enough to know when to ask questions and when to simply wait.

"Who is it?" Kakashi asked.

Itachi frowned. "Not a wizard. And not a shinobi. Something… different. But it seems strong." He paused, seemingly lost in thought. Then he looked at Kakashi. "Use your dogs. Find out what it is."

Kakashi nodded.

While the Leaf-nin gave the instructions to his hounds, Kisame took the opportunity to speak to his partner alone.

"What have you got planned?"

Itachi still seemed a little distracted. Kisame shrugged. He was used to this. Itachi could be silent for long periods of time while on a mission. It was occasionally annoying, but such was life. It still beat being paired with Deidara. Or that maniac Hidan. Or Pain…

Despite himself, Kisame shivered. The Akatsuki head was a truly terrifying individual. Ferociously strong and with a psychotic God-complex to boot, he was someone not to mess with. And his partner, the Angel, was just as bad. Cute, but nuts in a way that would make a man run a marathon to escape.

The dogs had returned. They looked terrified. Kakashi spoke with them briefly, then sent them away. He approached Itachi.

"It's not human. They said it's some kind of monster, like a tailed beast."

Kisame was stunned. "A Bijuu?! They have a fucking bijuu??!!"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. It's _like_ a bijuu. Powerful, a large amount of chakra and very aggressive. But not on the same level as a bijuu. Pakkun reckons it eats humans."

Itachi nodded. "Typical of Orochimaru. He loved experimenting with creatures. He probably created this thing and let it loose to slow us down."

His partners, present and former, waited expectantly, but Itachi was still lost in thought. Kakashi became impatient. Kisame gestured at him to calm down.

Finally, Itachi spoke. "This thing could strike at any time and at any place. If we're involved in a pitched battle with Orochimaru and Voldemort, not to mention their minions, the last thing we'd want is a monster blundering into the fight. We'll have to split our force."

Kisame looked surprised. Kakashi nodded in agreement. "So who stays and who goes?"

Itachi glanced at each in turn. "Kisame, you'll stay and take care of the beast. You have the most chakra of all of us and the most strength. Kill the beast then join the assault. You'll probably be joining us as the battle gets hot, which gives us a tactical advantage. The enemy will have adjusted to our force and have committed to dealing with it, therefore the addition of a third attack will destabilize their plans and give us a better chance of victory. Also, Kakashi is better suited to infiltration than you are."

Kisame nodded reluctantly. While Itachi's plan made sense, he was still reluctant to leave his partner with the Leaf-nin. As if reading his mind, Itachi spoke. "Kakashi and I worked on several missions when I was in the Leaf ANBU. We were given several commendations for our team work."

Kisame grimaced. "Fine. But for the record, I'm not happy about this."

In years to come, Kakashi would remember the moment as the most shocking event of his life. The second Kisame stopped speaking, Uchiha Itachi, the notorious criminal and mass-murderer, burst out laughing. Not a mere chuckle, or even a malicious cackle, but a heaving laugh. Looking at his partner, struggling to control the laughter, he said "Fine. I'll make a note of it in the mission log! Would you like me to note it as an official complaint? Maybe we can go before a disciplinary committee? Have a hearing with representation and a three-man tribunal?"

Kisame had smiled. Settling the Samehada, he walked off. Itachi regained his composure, and continued on the path towards the manor. Kakashi followed.

Akatsuki, he decided, were a very odd bunch.

* * *

Voldemort was planning something.

There was no evidence for it, no reason to think it. The wizard's manner was respectful, as one might treat an equal. The wizard listened carefully to Orochimaru's advice. In all things he seemed to be genuinely interested in maintaining the alliance between them. But Orochimaru couldn't shake the feeling that the wizard had an ulterior motive.

Of course, that was not in itself a problem. What man attempting world domination didn't plot, even against their allies? The unnerving factor was something else. A nagging suspicion that Voldemort was more than he appeared.

Orochimaru had watched the wizard closely. He was powerful, yes, and of course he did not show his full extent, but that wasn't what troubled him. It was the frightening speed of thought that the wizard displayed. Somehow, Orochimaru had the feeling that something much bigger was afoot, and that he himself was merely a cog in a larger plan.

His first meeting with the man had been worrying, but Orochimaru had dismissed it shortly afterwards. Recently he began to wonder whether he should have.

Still, even if the wizard was plotting against him, Orochimaru was far from powerless. On his orders, Kabuto had began a slow and subtle process of recruitment. He was fairly sure that around a third of the wizards at the manor were more loyal to Orochimaru than to their own Dark Lord, and more would follow. Besides, he had already set in motion a failsafe should the wizard make a move against him. There was no reason to worry. While the wizard's magic was powerful, and certainly there was a lot more to it than he had seen, Orochimaru knew that a shinobi's physical prowess would always give them an edge in a battle against magic. He was sure that he was faster than Voldemort, stronger than Voldemort and had more killing techniques than Voldemort.

But the feeling wouldn't go away…

He sighed. Voldemort smiled slightly. "Troubled?"

Orochimaru shook his head. He moved his queen, beginning an attack on the wizard's exposed left flank. The game was a good example. After their discussion, Voldemort had asked him to teach him to play. He had no interest in it as a game, he had said, but as an exercise in abstract warfare. Orochimaru had obliged. The man's progress was astounding. He had gone from a novice to a jounin's level in strategic and tactical understanding in less than three days. The snake-sannin found it worrying.

Voldemort looked at the board. So simple, yet so elegant. He had always been dismissive of it during his days in Slytherin, regarding it was a waste of intellect. But now he could truly appreciate its brilliance. Pawns and pieces, yet even the lowliest pawn could kill the mighty queen. A truly perfect simile for his defeat against Potter, and the best lesson for the future. The snake-nin was right to be worried, he mused. The stage was set, the middle-game played, the pieces in position. Finally, the end-game could begin.

He moved his knight, threatening the queen and beginning a deadly attack on the right. The final victory would be his. Now and always.

Now and always…

* * *

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**a/n It's been awhile, I know. College and a trip abroad interfered, and I'd almost forgotten about this story. Then, when I decided to continue it, I ended up having enormous trouble as a result of the original version of chapter 12. I know that the change doesn't seem crucial, but it really was. In any case, I'm still broadly sticking to the notes, and we are almost at the end, so bear with me. Thanks.**

**P.S. I know us authors work for the pleasure of the job, but reviews are nice! I know it's kind of blackmail, but you make an over-worked, stressed and exam-ridden student very happy everytime you leave a review... ;p**


	14. The Rise of the King

3

**Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I own nothing. Naruto and Harry Potter belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

"It's too quiet."

Itachi didn't react. They waited an instant more, then burst forward. Kakashi sprinted to the next corridor, checked it, and then signaled. Itachi ran past him. They had proceeded on paired sweeps through the mansion. There were no guards. The mansion was entirely deserted.

Itachi hadn't spoken a word since they left Kisame. He'd insisted on taking point for the entire approach, often leaving Kakashi waiting while he scouted ahead. If it had been anyone else, Kakashi would have felt insulted. As it was, he simply accepted it.

They reached the room. Kakashi was on edge. It was simply not possible for them to be this lucky. Orochimaru clearly had something deeply unpleasant planned. The set-up reeked of his reptilian cruelty. He glanced at his companion. Itachi was impassive. Kakashi grimaced slightly. Why was he so calm? Something was clearly wrong, but Itachi was entirely unconcerned. Kakashi shook his head. This mission was rapidly heading into unknown territory.

Itachi gestured to Kakashi, signing to move back and prepare for a burst entry. Kakashi assumed his position to the right, and waited for the signal. The mission had been a disaster since they began the assault. Jiro, Toshi, Genzo… A shinobi knew that his teammates might die, but knowing didn't make it any easier. It had been strange, leading a team of Jounin again. He had forgotten how it felt. The easy comradeship, the efficiency and the discipline… He loved his Genins, but it was never quite the same. No matter how they grew, he'd never be able to treat them as equals, even if they became stronger than him. He'd always be their teacher, the man who saves them when they're in trouble, the one who resolved their trivial arguments. Just like how Minato had done for him… Shaking himself, Kakashi refocused on the mission. This wasn't the time to be lost in memories. But still the thought flashed across his mind: _Toshi, Jiro, Genzo… I promise you, I'll avenge you!_

Itachi signaled. The door exploded.

* * *

The beast was tough.

Kisame picked up its trail about a mile from where he had left his comrades. It hadn't been hard to find. He found a dead wizard, chunks of flesh ripped from it, and tracks heading away. The beast wasn't a forest creature, that was certain. Anyone trained in tracking would be able to find it. He followed the trail for a good hour before he got his first glimpse of it. It was big, the size of a tiger. It loped quickly but inelegantly on its fours, occasionally jumping up to a tree and leaping from branch to branch. It was fast, though, and looked strong.

Ad he got closer, Kisame got a better view. Spikes jutted from its joints, and its back was covered in black quills. It was almost hairless, with orange skin mottled with black. It looked unhealthy, though it was hard to say. Kisame drew the Samehada. Screaming, he leapt for the beast. It spun and leapt for him.

They clashed three times. Kisame managed to take out its forelimb with the first attack, but the second knocked the Samehada out of his grasp. Now he had his arm locked round its throat as it slashed at him with its talons. Ignoring the pain, Kisame tried to squeeze tighter. It was tough. Most men would be pulp by now, but the beast was barely fazed. Grunting with strain, Kisame hurled it as hard as he could. A tree shattered from the impact.

Retrieving the Samehada, Kisame looked for the beast. It had disappeared. The tracks led off to the west, heading towards the mansion. Snarling, he sprinted in pursuit.

* * *

Orochimaru gave a warm smile of welcome. Voldemort was impassive. They sat on their thrones, looking down on the two intruders, flanked by their henchmen. Kakashi made every effort to hide his anxiety. There were twenty wizards in the room, all with their wands drawn and pointing at the intruders. At these odds, survival was almost impossible, let alone successful completion of the mission.

"Welcome, my dear friends. What a truly lovely sight – two former comrades, united by their desire to kill me."

Itachi stepped forward. Orochimaru gestured to the wizards, signaling to wait. "Last words, Itachi? Feel free to speak. I'll be sure to tell your brother."

Itachi looked him in the eye. "Orochimaru-san. I have come with a message from the leader. We regret you were unable to work with us, and were content to let you live. However, this violation is unacceptable. I therefore ask you to submit to the judgment of Akatsuki."

Orochimaru laughed. Kakashi stared in disbelief. This was the plan? Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kabuto edging towards the right, followed by a group of Sound-nins. He lifted his protector, the Sharingan springing to life. Time to get ready.

Orochimaru was speaking. Kakashi barely listened. He remained focused on the shinobi, shifting to cover them. If he could take care of them, and Itachi could deal with the wizards, they might be able to survive the first attack. Hopefully they could hold out until Kisame joined them…

Voldemort rose from his throne. Orochimaru stopped talking, and bowed to him slightly, his courtesy marred by the mocking grin painted to his face. The Heir of Slytherin twirled his wand, filling the room with light. He gazed at Itachi. "I do not appreciate uninvited guests. For this insolence, you shall pay with your life."

He aimed his wand. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The jet of green light arced across the hall. Itachi stayed motionless. The jet sped towards him and…

Hit Kabuto. The Sound-nin was hurled into a wall, crashing through it. The look of shock on his face was quickly followed by the slackness of death.

Voldemort spoke, his voice entirely flat. "It appears I missed."

Orochimaru spun round to face him, rage twisting his features into a bestial snarl. "You! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!"

His hands flickered, and a jet of fire consumed the Dark Wizard. It faded to reveal an unburned Voldemort smiling at his former ally. "I think you have far more pressing concerns, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru spun round, straight into a Katon Great Fireball. It hurled him through a wall. Itachi leapt in pursuit.

A whisper of sound behind Kakashi made him spin, kunai flashing up to bury itself in a Sound-nin's eye. He leapt away. The wizards were attacking the ninjas, spells flashing in hundreds of directions. A shinobi went down, only for his attacker to fly back, his arms severed. More people were rushing into the hall, wizards and shinobi desperate to join the battle. A group of wizards spotted him and charged towards him; evading their spells, Kakashi crashed into a circle of Sound-nins. They immediately attacked.

_Great_, Kakashi thought. _Both sides want to kill me_. Channeling chakra to his feet, he leapt to the ceiling, and began his desperate fight.

* * *

Orochimaru rose, only to see the elder Uchiha standing before him. "Bastard! I'll cut those eyes out then build a fire in their sockets!"

Itachi murmured softly.

_Shit._

Flames engulfed him.

Itachi approached the charred corpse. He stared at it without comment, and then disappeared as the Kusanagi slashed through the air.

"How did you know?!"

Itachi drew a kunai. "Snakes are known for being slippery."

Orochimaru slashed at him. Itachi evaded by a hair's breadth. The Kusanagi extended, shooting towards his eye. Itachi vanished in a murder of crows. Suddenly Orochimaru gasped. Reaching round, he pulled the kunai from his ribs. It was drenched in blood.

Itachi materialized in front of him. A sudden gesture and he held the Kusanagi. He leveled it at Orochimaru's throat. A blow from behind sent him flying into a wall.

Retrieving the sword, Orochimaru looked for his enemy.

He had gone.

Warily, Orochimaru turned. The Uchiha stood twenty yards away. "Shall we get serious?"

Itachi nodded. In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru had completed the hand seals. By the time he realized it was useless, it was already too late. He collapsed to the ground, paralyzed. Incapable of movement, he could only stare as Voldemort and Itachi stood over him.

And with the clarity of a man too long deceived, he realized the deadly simplicity of the trick.

* * *

A clone exploded. The instant was all he needed. "Futon: DAITOPPA!!". The wind swept three wizards and then ignited, burning them to ash. Unhesitatingly, Kakashi dived for cover as a flood of spells sliced through his former position. Risking a glance, he saw that his expectations were correct. The shinobi had used his distraction to attack the wizards. Diving to the right, he shouted "Raiton: Lightning Shuriken!!". The electrified shuriken flew towards the shinobi, slicing into them. A wizard followed it with a killing spell, taking out another shinobi. Kakashi re-spotted.

It would be a lot easier if he had more long-range techniques. This was the kind of battle where he could have really used Jiro's archery. Still, it seemed to be going to plan. Both groups outnumbered him, but couldn't spare the men necessary to take him out because of the other group. More men were rushing in all the time, joining both sides. So he attacked them in turn, creating opportunities for each side. The downside was that he was working overtime on evading. So far, he was unhurt.

He looked for another spot to attack. The two groups had disengaged again. Shinobi held an advantage in close combat, while the wizards were more suited to range fighting; however, a group of wizards presented a very strong defensive proposition, even at close range.

Shifting slowly, he skirted the edge of the stalemate. By an unwritten, unspoken law, both sides had taken the opportunity to rest. He saw a few shinobi slump down, grabbing some water while their foes moved into cover. It wouldn't last long. Edging forward, he found his spot. One of the wizards was slightly exposed, perfect for a long-range sneak attack, and close enough to the shinobi to allow for an immediate counter. Glancing over to where Itachi and Orochimaru had disappeared, Kakashi drew a kunai. There was no sign of movement. _Come on, Itachi. Move!_

The kunai spun silently through the air, inexorable in its flashing trail. The trajectory was perfect, the weight and the spin beautifully managed. It would have been a textbook thirty-two yard killing blow if the west side of the house hadn't exploded due to the wall of water that crashed through it. The Kunai buried itself into a seven-foot chunk of windowsill, which hurtled through a wall and into the chandelier of the main hall.

_What the fuck?!_

* * *

Kisame was not angry. He had gotten past that a while ago; he had left pissed off by the wayside. Fucking furious was an understatement. At that moment in time, the former member of the Mist Seven was white-hot, incandescently furious.

He had missed.

The beast had led him on quite a chase, evading water missiles like they were feathers in the breeze. Kisame had cornered the creature outside the house. It stood there, snarling, unwilling to charge inside but equally terrified of staying out. Kisame had readied his strongest attack.

"SUITON: WAVE OF DEATH!"

The tsunami had crashed through the house. Half of it was in rubble, the rest was flooded. Wizards and shinobi lucky enough to survive picked themselves up, their battle forgotten, all staring at the devastation caused by the Shark man's attack.

Except the beast.

Kisame was trying to catch his breath. Making a tsunami in the middle of a forest was tricky, even for him. He was leaning on the Samehada when the talon erupted from his stomach.

"Why the fuck won't you just DIE?!!!!"

* * *

Not even a miracle could stop the fight.

Their shock at the tsunami and the devastation it caused was not permanent. A shinobi saw a wizard off-guard and threw a fireball at him. The victim's comrades immediately turned to the attack, and before long, the battle reached the same stalemate.

Kakashi saw Kisame, and sprinted towards him. He threw himself at the beast, shouting "INITIAL LOTUS!". The creature hurtled into the air, but flipped itself, landing lightly on the roof of the house before jumping back down to earth. It stared balefully at the two shinobi. Around it, the wizards fought the ninjas with increasing ferocity, the battle picking up in intensity as both sides tried to mount suicidal attacks.

Kakashi looked at his temporary ally. "We need to stop this now. We can't handle them all, not just the two of us, and definitely not when you're injured."

Kisame spat a mouthful of blood. "I know, Scarecrow. Let me think."

Wheezing, the giant ninja ripped his cloak in half and used it to staunch the blood flow. Kakashi looked at the battle. The beast was waiting for them, crouched into position. The battle raged on, all sides fighting on the grass since the destruction of the house. Suddenly it came to him.

He looked at the Shark-nin. "Can you still create water?"

Kisame grimaced. "Not enough to sweep them all away. The best I could do right now is to flood them to their knees. And even that would be pushing it."

Kakashi grinned. "That's all I need."

Kisame looked surprised. "What are you talking about, Scarecrow? Wet shoes won't kill anyone."

Kakashi began to make the seals. "Trust me, Shark man. Trust me."

Kisame grunted. Focusing himself, his hand flashed quickly. "Suiton: Lake Creation!"

The prediction wasn't wrong. Immediately water started to seep from the ground, turning the land to mud, and then rising further. Kisame collapsed. "That's all I got. It's on you now."

Kakashi nodded. "You might want to get somewhere high up and dry."

Kisame obliged. Leaping up, he wedged the Samehada into a tree, and then sat on it.

Kakashi focused on the beast. It was still there. He finished the seals. Chakra poured to his hand, and the air began to fill with a familiar noise.

He charged towards the beast, Sharingan whirling, his speed increasing with every step, till finally, airborne, he screamed…

"CHIDORI!!!"

* * *

The air was thick with the smell of charred flesh.

From his vantage point, Hoshigaki Kisame whistled. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Kakashi slowly got to his feet. His speed had carried him through the worst of it, but he had suffered some serious burns on his legs. He stood, then fell. Turning his head, he gazed weakly over the scene.

The beast was dead. Chidori had ripped it in two. The body parts writhed slowly, reverting in death to humanity. It was decomposing fast, the results of whatever arcane process had been used to hold it together fading faster than morning fog. Around it, the burnt bodies of wizards and shinobi littered the plain. Some were still alive, though not for long. Patches of water stilled crackled with electricity, and fires were burning throughout.

Kakashi smiled. It had worked perfectly.

Footsteps made him turn his head, wincing with the agony. Uchiha Itachi emerged from the wreckage of the house.

The smile turned to horror as Kakashi saw what followed him…

* * *

He looked at the carnage, frowning with distaste, and then waved his wand. The water disappeared. He waved it again. The dead bodies piled themselves up in a mound, and then erupted into a white-hot flame, incinerating them in moments.

"Are you satisfied?"

The question burned itself into his mind. _Are you satisfied?_ It had worked perfectly, just as he had expected. The dried husk inside the house, formerly one of the most feared shinobi in the world; the dead snake, formerly a beloved companion and, more than that, a vessel for his soul. _Are you satisfied?_ Knowledge flitted through his mind, awareness of possibilities and powers completely new but at the same time incredibly familiar: magic; jutsu; words that had only one real meaning, and that was Power. _Are you satisfied?_ His body felt different, fully under his command. A new strength filled him. No physical feat was beyond him. _Are you satisfied?_

He spoke. "Yes."

Uchiha Itachi nodded. "Then the agreement is fulfilled. We have granted your request. Now we shall leave. The next time our paths cross, it shall be as enemies."

He smiled. "I think we shall commence hostilities right now."

The Uchiha prodigy's expression changed for an instant. And for that instant, the man felt fear. "No. You do not have full command over yourself. At this time, I am far beyond you."

He nodded. "Very well. You and your partner may leave. But the white-haired one who killed so many… I demand his life."

Even with his heightened senses, he never saw the movement. One moment the Uchiha stood before him, the next, his arm was raised and a needle had pierced Kakashi's throat.

Itachi spoke. "I will take his body."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Itachi stared at Kakashi's corpse. "He is… was a friend of mine."

The man stared at him. Finally he relaxed. "Very well."

Itachi walked a few steps. He lifted the body and settled it over his shoulder. Then he looked back at the man.

The man spoke. "Goodbye, Uchiha Itachi. I pray we meet again. Soon."

Itachi nodded. "Farewell… Wait. What do I call you now?"

The man smiled, revealing a forked tongue. "Once, I was Tom Riddle. Then I became Lord Voldemort. Now? You may call me the Serpent King."

"Very well. Farewell, your majesty. I am sure our paths will cross in the future."

Itachi disappeared. The man watched as he materialized next to his companion. He continued to watch long after they had vanished.

He heard a popping noise behind him. Without turning, he spoke. "Severus. Do not remain here unduly. I have an urgent message for you to give to that old fool in his castle."

Barely keeping the shock out of his voice, Snape managed to string together a reply. "What message, Lord?"

"Tell him…" The man thought for a moment. "Tell him the prophecy is fulfilled. The Serpent King is Risen!"

Snape knelt before his master, fear constricting his heart as a high, cold laughter pierced the air.

* * *

Kakashi awoke. He was in a bed. The room was warm and pleasant. A light breeze filtered through the open window. His burns were bandaged. He recognized the place: Konoha's infirmary.

A voice cut through the air like the icy blast of winter. "Don't speak. Listen."

Uchiha Itachi stepped in front of him. "You are in Tsukuyomi. It's the safest place for us to talk."

Despite the order, Kakashi couldn't help himself. "You! You betrayed me!"

Itachi snarled. "Silence! This was how it was supposed to go from the beginning. When Pain made the deal with Voldemort, the condition was to teach him the arts of the shinobi. The easiest way was for him to consume the soul of Orochimaru. Don't you see? Voldemort didn't help Akatsuki through compulsion. They were working together the whole time!"

Kakashi was stunned. "But then why did you help us…"

Itachi cut him off, his anger easily visible. "You were convenient. If Orochimaru had suspected, he would have killed Voldemort immediately. Your presence guaranteed our intentions looked hostile. Orochimaru knows that we would never work together unless desperate for the same end. That's why we helped you."

Itachi began pacing the room. "It was beautifully planned. I was in contact with Voldemort from the beginning. The second Orochimaru met him; I knew the entirety of their conversation thanks to a witch Voldemort allowed us to capture. We killed her to convince Orochimaru of our intentions. Your attack… Voldemort knew it was planned. Right down to the names of your teammates. We had intended that you survive, but Kabuto ruined that. Every second of this mission of yours was predicted, noted and scripted, and it came off perfectly."

Kakashi stared in shock. He had never seen Itachi so emotional. "Why are you telling me this?"

Itachi wheeled round. "As of one hour ago, Hatake Kakashi died. We used an emergency communication scroll to tell Konoha."

"What?"

Itachi continued. "As of one hour ago, Uchiha Itachi resigned from Akatsuki. Kisame is informing the rest. They already know why."

"Why?"

Itachi didn't answer. He looked to be debating the question in his head. Finally he looked Kakashi in the eye. "I have a virus. It's killing me slowly. That, combined with my oncoming blindness makes me unfit for any kind of work Akatsuki does."

He looked away and continued. "And this brings me to the point. You have a choice, Kakashi. Right here and now, you have a choice. You can go back to Konoha, proving that the scroll was a fake. You'll be a hero, and Tsunade will use you well in missions. That's one option."

Kakashi considered this. "And the other?"

Itachi smiled sadly. "You come with me. There's a hospital in this country where I can be cured. It will take a while, but they can do it. But while I'm in there, you'll be my eyes and ears. I need you, Kakashi. I need you to do the most important thing in the world, because if you don't, I have no idea what to do. You need to find Sasuke before Akatsuki do, and when you find him, I need you to keep him with you. Do whatever it takes, but make sure Akatsuki don't get him. You need to find him before they finish gathering Jinchuuriki, or it will be too late."

Kakashi looked puzzled. "Why?"

Itachi shook his head. "Decide first."

Kakashi considered the options. It was a tough call. He looked at Itachi. For the first time in his life, the man seemed desperate. He looked away. He sat there for hours, pondering the choice. Finally, he made up his mind.

"I'll do it."

Itachi smiled a smile of pure relief. "Let's go. We have a lot of work to do."

They stepped out of the dream world, and vanished into the night.

* * *

_This marks the end of 'Dark Thoughts and Darker Deeds.' I originally intended it to only be a one-off story, but now I'm thinking of having a sequel. Anyhow, it's been great fun, and I thank all my reviewers for their kind words._

_Hope you enjoyed the show, and I look forward to seeing you in the next part._

_Oh, and I'm happy to answer any questions you have, unless they're part of the next story._


End file.
